Ford F150
by dreemseeker
Summary: Another black truck drives past you. And as usual, you catch yourself staring at it. Do you know who was in that truck? .. Established relationships.
1. Chapter 1

Standard FF disclaimers apply

Ford F150

Chapter 1

Pulling out of traffic, Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. She would definitely not be missing this part of living in the big city. Her last minute errands for the day were finally done and it was time to relax before the big move tomorrow. Leaving her car parked next to the rented moving van, she locked up and headed into her now empty apartment. Sydney walked slowly through the bare rooms. It seemed almost impossible that three years had passed so quickly. Glancing around, she thought about the first day she walked into this tiny apartment. She had been so anxious to get out of what she considered her 'small town' life. This place had seemed like paradise, and in many ways it had been. She had finished school while living here. Her dreams of starting her own business had been fulfilled while living here, and… she kept herself from finishing that last thought. She acknowledged that she would never forget the people she had met here in New York, and left it at that.

Her breath caught in her throat. Yes many great things had been accomplished from this small space. She was determined to remember the good, and try to forget the bad. But the bad things had happened too, and were just as responsible for this move as any of the good things. Sydney moved toward the bedroom. It was late and she would be starting out early the next morning. A few hours of rest would be nice, but she seriously doubted that her mind would calm down enough to allow her to actually sleep. She sighed. Tomorrow Sydney Schaeffer; entrepreneur, RE agent, designer, would be headed home. Home, where she had always been considered the rebellious restless daughter, the head strong younger sister.

Home, the place that she had so desperately wanted to leave not so long ago, although now it did seem like another lifetime. Her parents were gone, but Trenton was home, and she felt the need to get back, to find her balance again. For the past six months, Sydney had been working furiously to make this move possible. There had been so many details to work out, but she had certainly been motivated. Most everyone that she knew understood her reasons and they were more than supportive.

Of course, she would still work with her clients here in New York, but it would be from her home base, not some overpriced office space, that her clients had never even seen. As a Real Estate Agent, she had met her clients in every place imaginable, often picking them up from their homes or places of business. As an Interior Design Consultant, the same was true, she met her clients everywhere but her office. Her office had been obsolete from the day she moved into it. What a waste that had been. "We learn from our mistakes," she would tell herself and keep forging ahead. As her mother was fond of saying, "all things happen for a reason." It was figuring out what the reasons were that was the trick.

By 5:00am, Sydney had said goodbye to the Holland Tunnel and had made her way to the New Jersey Turnpike. It was still dark, and since she was moving away from the city, the traffic was not bad yet. Large familiar shapes zipped past, the world she had known for so long now faded behind her. Soon she would be on US-1 and it would be a straight shot to Trenton. Home.

Playing with the old radio, Sydney finally found a classic rock station that the antennae could pick up somewhat decently. Tapping her fingers on the oversized steering wheel of the moving van, she could feel the drums vibrating their rhythm down deep in her core. She had been raised on rock and roll, with a huge emphasis on the bands heavy on drum solos and guitar riffs. Her dad had shared his appreciation of a great drummer, and she now lost herself in AC/DC's Highway to Hell. Like her dad always said, Phil Rudd had it right.

In her mind she could see her dad, a successful attorney, playing the air guitar dressed in his three piece suit. What had once been a teenage obsession, had become his preferred method of stress relief. It would have made such an odd scene, to anyone who didn't know him. Sydney smiled at the memory, and then felt the pain twisting in her heart again.

Suddenly the buzzing of her phone broke into her thoughts. A quick glance showed Aubrey's picture. Since she was planning on meeting with her sister at the house this morning, Sydney was pretty sure that this call meant that she was going to be a little bit late.

"Hey, Brie." Putting her sister on speaker, she listened as the elaborate excuses started. As she had suspected, it would be several hours before Aubrey could make to Trenton. She was not surprised, nor was she upset. Her sister was married with 3 small children. It was not anyone's fault, really, but it had been years since they had been able to spend any real time together. In fact, the last time she had seen her sister was at the funeral. As she ended the call, her attention was immediately taken by the black truck coming up from behind, and then passing her. Sydney looked over the truck, noting the details that she knew so well, dark tinted windows, super crew with a full back seat, custom package included the brushed silver rims that she had fallen in love with. She could only imagine that it had the black leather seats and grey interior that she had chosen as well.

Funny that ever since she had bought her truck, she seemed to notice every black Ford F150 on the road. But none of them had come this close to the one she had special ordered for her new business. And none of them had had big, good looking guys in them like this one did. Granted she had only had a few seconds to see the driver and his passenger, but the impressions were there. Both of them had large muscles outlined in tight fitting black t-shirts. They had dark hair, and striking features. Looking so much alike they could be brothers. And both of them had serious looks on their faces, as if they were concentrating on something important. Sydney watched as the truck passed her and pulled several car lengths ahead. Changing lanes they ended up directly in front of her. She followed them all the way in to Trenton.

OoOoO

The house was big, it had always been too big for the number of people who had lived in it. There would be plenty of room, and it would be perfect to run her businesses out of it now. The cleaning service that she had hired, had done an admirable job preparing for her homecoming. After sitting closed up for so long, it had needed general cleaning and definitely needed to be aired out. Now it looked and smelled clean, and someone had placed fresh flowers in the foyer, as well as in the dining room, the sweet scent of gardenias and the deep, strong smell of day lilies permeated the air. That was a nice touch, she thought. And she realized that it was just the kind of thing that Aubrey would think of doing for her. Sydney swallowed hard as she realized that these were her mother's favorite flowers, these were the flowers that her dad brought home each week for her. It was the only romantic gesture that she had ever seen her dad make. He was too macho for a lot of mushy stuff, but her mother loved the flowers. She had never seen him miss one single week. Sitting down on the couch in the living room, she let her memories flood over her. The ache of missing her parents seized her still broken heart. She allowed herself a minute or two of overwhelming emotions, but no more tears. Between her parents and the 'Blake incident' she had already cried more than her fair share of those. Her mother would want her to be strong and move forward with her life, so that was what she intended to do. She had a lot of work ahead of her, and getting busy now would be the best thing she could do to keep moving forward.

The moving van was unloaded by the time Aubrey showed up, her three young children in tow. The kids ran enthusiastically to Sydney and they all fought for position as they grabbed her legs and hugged tight. She was their favorite aunt. Okay… she was their only aunt, but she assured herself that she would have been their favorite no matter what. Their rambunctious outpouring of love always made her feel like laughing, as she was doing now. Walking clumsily with the kids still clinging to her legs, Sydney made her way to the kitchen counter and pulled out the gifts she had brought for her two nieces and her little nephew. Delighted with their new toys, the kids kissed her and thanked her and then ran off to play.

"Syd, you're always spoiling the kids," Aubrey chided. But she had a large smile on her face. She pulled her into a big hug of her own. It was really great to see her sister. Now Aubrey held her at arm's length and looked into her face. "So, how are you? Really?" she asked. As Sydney took a deep breath, Aubrey added, "And don't tell me that you are 'fine', it's the only word you have used for months."

Letting the air slowly leak out of her lungs, Sydney gave herself a chance to think of another word. Her sister knew her too well. She had been about to say 'fine,' but now she said "I'm okay." Then she gave herself a mental eye roll, she knew it sounded just as lame, if not worse.

"Sydney, it's been a tough year, you've got to cut yourself some slack," Aubrey looked into her sister's eyes as she spoke. But now, Sydney lowered her head and averted her eyes.

"I really will be okay, this move will be good for all of us" she insisted. Her sister was watching her closely. As always, she was a bit over protective, so Sydney wanted to explain that she was on track.

"I have several appointments with new clients next week, and I've expanded my business to include staging. And after the home shows last year, I have had so many requests for personal design help, I will continue to do that too."

"Syd, just do me a favor," Aubrey looked at her seriously. "Don't get the idea that just because you are busy, that you are okay." "Take some time for yourself whenever you need it"

Sydney nodded and gave her another hug. "I will, I promise," she said. "Now, the kids are occupied, are you ready to get this done?"

The task of packing away their parent's things was taxing, both physically and emotionally. But the sisters gently placed box after box into the designated bedroom that would be used for storage. It was too overwhelming to try to sort it all out now. So they organized it and got it all ready to come back to, in small doses. It would be so much easier that way.

Aubrey was glad that Sydney would be living here now, with her being so much closer, she could keep an eye on her younger sister. She constantly worried about Sydney, she had always been so driven and competitive. Her ambitions had taken her to New York several years ago, where she had worked hard, and studied hard. Sydney had built an impressive career, and she was quite successful. That was all good, but what Aubrey wanted was for her to be able to play hard too. Even before the Blake fiasco, Aubrey could tell that her sister was not having a good time with her fiancé, he was too serious, she was too serious. By the time they talked about getting engaged, it felt more like a business merger than a marriage. She wanted to see Sydney experience fun the way she used to. And watching her play with the kids was a great start. Today she'd heard Sydney laugh for the first time in so long.

After the kids were safely bundled into their car seats, Aubrey gave Sydney one last hug. "Take care of you," she was saying, but she noticed that her sister's attention was somewhere else at that moment. Following her gaze she saw the black truck moving down the street. "Syd?"

"Did I tell you that I get to pick up my new business 'vehicle' tomorrow?" Sydney said. "It's a black truck, a Ford, the F-150 just like that one," she said as she watched the truck turn the corner and disappear from sight. Aubrey nodded, it was a good looking truck. Sydney had told her all about hers when she had it specially ordered. She shrugged, it was just a truck. But Sydney had noticed more than just the truck. Like the one she had seen before, this one had a couple of good looking, well-muscled men in it. One had dark coloring, one was blond, but both were wearing black and had serious looks on their faces. Before she could think too much about it, Aubrey drew her attention away when she started calling to her kids to behave themselves.

"Gotta get these kids home," she said. She kissed her sister on the cheek and quickly said her goodbyes. Sydney waved to them until they were out of sight, then she turned back to the house. Moving home had been planned for months now, and she thought she was prepared for it. Now, she sighed. No matter what she promised her sister, she knew that she would keep herself busy. It was the only way she knew to get through the complete upheaval in her life. Being busy was always instrumental in forgetting, at least for a little while. And she was still desperately trying to forget Blake.

In fact, she decided that she would get busy right now. The office needed to be set up so that she could get some research done. For the remainder of the evening she put her skills to work and created the workspace that she needed to run her multi-faceted business. When she was finally satisfied, she locked up and headed for bed. She hadn't slept well in such a long time, she hoped being home now would change all that.


	2. Chapter 2

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 2

Long florescent light bulbs striped the ceiling of the lower level garage. Casting a bluish tint to the light being reflected off of the recently polished fleet of vehicles that he maintained for RangeMan Inc. With pride, Bones surveyed the row of sleek, black trucks all lined up along the wall. Business was good for the security industry in Trenton, and the company had been hiring more employees to keep up with the demand. Of course, that meant that he was in charge of adding several more trucks to the RangeMan fleet. Two of these new vehicles had already been ordered, according to Ranger's specifications, which included tinted windows, super crew cab, black leather seats, and security bars in the back seat. The phone call Bones had received earlier this morning, informed him that one of the trucks was ready for pick up. He was now waiting for Hal, who was going with him to pick it up from the dealer.

Suddenly the lights from the nearest truck flashed and the horn beeped twice as Hal walked through the door, using his keyless remote to unlock his truck.

"Hey Bones," Hal nodded to him as he climbed into the truck. As soon as Bones was in his seat, Hal started pulling out. "Did I hear you say that one of us is going to pick up Steph on our way back?"

Bones nodded, "Ranger tried to give her the Cayenne, but you know how freaked she got the last time she blew up one of his cars."

"I'll pick her up, while you bring the new truck home," Hal said without looking at Bones, his eyes in the rearview mirror. Men of few words, the arrangements were made. Within minutes they had pulled out of the garage and were on their way to the Ford dealership.

OoOoO

Rays of sunlight streamed in through the tall two story windows of the Ford showroom. Several cars and at least three trucks had been newly polished for their display on the showroom floor. Sydney had no more than walked through the door, when she was greeted by a salesman with a big plastic smile on his face. He was extremely friendly and extraordinarily phony. And it was because of people like him that Sydney had chosen to go the 'special order' route, avoiding the obnoxious sales pitch and drawn out paperwork session . The impeccably dressed man approached her and started his spiel, all smiles and handshakes until she told him she was here to pick up her previously ordered vehicle. The wattage in the smile dimmed, but he recovered enough to offer his assistance anyway.

Walking with her, he led her to the pickup area in back. Sydney made a bee-line to her new truck. Mr. Salesman eyed her curiously. "This is the vehicle you are here to pick up?" he asked. Sydney started to nod her head 'yes', when she noticed the black truck next to it. It was nearly identical to the one she had ordered, and to the ones that she had been spotting all around Trenton. Finally she saw the tags dangling from the door handles. 'Schaeffer' was written on the nearest one. "Good," she thought, "this _is_ my truck" just out of curiosity, she looked at the tag on the other truck, 'Manoso'. Sydney shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to her own vehicle.

"A surprise for your husband?" the salesman asked. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea that this was her truck. Here we go again, she thought.

"I am here to pick up _my_ new truck," she emphasized. "It will be perfect for my business," she said without looking at him, as she was circling around it, surveying the truck. The guys she had been working with strolled in and greeted her. Reluctantly she pulled her eyes away from her truck and turned her attention to them. She knew that they had pushed for the delivery to be on time, and she was sure that they had shined it up for her this morning too. She did want to let them know how grateful she was for their extra efforts. So Sydney had just started to turn her back on the smug salesman, when he spoke up again.

"This little lady thinks she's here to pick up this big ole truck, you think she can handle it?" he said. "Maybe we should make her wait until the hubby can come in and help her out."

Three mouths dropped opened. No one could believe the nerve of this guy. Sydney wanted to set him straight, but he really was not worth the effort. She did not have to explain herself to him. It was none of his business. Fact is, she had learned how to drive in a truck, at the young age of 14. Her dad had taught her to drive when they went out to her grandparent's farm. His truck was a Ford too, an old model that had FORD spelled out in metal and enamel letters, spaced a foot and a half apart above the front grill. It was a big, heavy, temperamental thing, and she had tamed it. She still remembered the pride she felt when her father praised her newly discovered driving abilities. It opened up a whole new world for her, one that she shared with her dad. And it was no coincidence that she had chosen a Ford now, her dad would not have had it any other way.

Mostly ignored, the stupid salesman finally stopped talking and turned to walk away. Sydney was now focused on her truck. Every detail was perfect. She had specified that she wanted it to be as 'plain' as possible. As a business vehicle she did not want stripes or decorations painted on it, like the ones she'd just seen currently on display in the showroom. Not even the standard 4X4 decal was on this one. From a design standpoint, the truck was a backdrop to her business, and as such it needed to be simple. So she was pleased to see that they had met all of her specifications. With multiple businesses now, she needed the truck to function effectively for each of them. The back seat would accommodate taking real estate clients to see properties. The bed of the truck was for transporting furniture and large items for her staging and decorating projects. There would be no markings identifying any of the businesses, she wanted the simplicity to accommodate all of them.

Finishing up what little paperwork was left, she waved as she climbed into the cab of the truck and pulled out into the parking lot. When she stopped, waiting to maneuver into traffic, she was only mildly surprised to see the black truck that was now pulling into the other end of the dealership driveway. It no longer surprised her to see all the other black F150s on the road. She just figured that it was a form of 'selective attention' that she would start to notice the other trucks that were so similar to hers, and she decided to accept it as such. They had probably been there, all around town, she had just not paid attention to them until she was going to be driving one too. Although, she could not for the life of her, understand how she had never before noticed the amazing looking men that drove the trucks. It was worth spotting the black trucks just to see them.

As she knew it would, her truck drove like a dream. Sydney loved the powerful feel of the engine, the smooth ride on the custom tires. Of course, let's not forget the incredible sound from the custom installed Bose stereo system. Sydney set her IPod in the built-in docking station. The music started and she could feel the bass pounding through her, it was magnificent. Her playlist started with Kansas, Carry on. Listening, and singing along to It, she was on her way to her next stop in East Trenton .

OoOoO

Up ahead of them, Stephanie could see a large delivery truck. Normally that would mean nothing, but she could see that this truck had a large picture on the back end, of a perky teenage girl holding an umbrella that was ineffective in keeping brightly colored heart shaped 'raindrops' from showering down everywhere. She recognized that advertisement, and it made her uncomfortable in more ways than one.

Of course it wouldn't be unusual to see a delivery van from the J&J company, their factory was just north of Trenton, their trucks were seen everywhere, a lot, that is why she recognized the advertisement so readily. But_ that_ fact was only the first reason she hated seeing the van. It reminded her of the tampon factory and the seemingly endless supply of jobs they apparently had available there. The ones that her mother insisted on telling her about every time that she saw her. Stephanie sighed, and then there was the other reason. Here she was, on her way to the office with Hal, the one and only shy rangeman. She just knew that when he noticed the tampons proudly advertised at the bottom of that picture, Hal was going to turn bright red. She was afraid that he would choke or swallow his tongue in his embarrassment. Poor guy, she always seemed to be around when these crazy things happened to him. She hoped that she could divert his attention enough that he wouldn't notice it, so she started talking, rambling really, not saying anything important, just trying to distract Hal enough that he wouldn't look closely at that stupid truck.

"Oh look," Hal said, pointing at something up in front of them. Stephanie nearly choked herself, until she noticed there was another black truck up ahead, apparently that's what Hal was looking at.

"Who's up there?" she asked.

Hal shrugged, "Probably Bones, he just picked up a new truck from the dealer." He was quiet for a moment. "I thought he was headed directly back to RangeMan," Hal thought out loud.

Suddenly they heard a screeching metal on metal sound and half of the divided door on the back of the delivery truck flew open. It started swinging around and slammed against the side of the truck, before flapping back and hitting the broken handle again, creating another of those high pitched screeching sounds. They could see that the truck was filled top to bottom with boxes that were now being jostled around every time the door made contact, as it wildly flopped back and forth.

Of course, the driver of the big truck seemed oblivious to the problem. He didn't seem to be aware of anything, and he drove right over a big pot hole, causing the whole truck to shift as it bounced hard. Several of the boxes worked their way loose, and the next time the door flew open, they tumbled out of the truck like dice on a game board. Stephanie gasped. Both Hal and Stephanie held their breath, and watched as the black truck ahead of them effortlessly dodged the boxes, moving carefully as if going through an obstacle course. He avoided all of the boxes, all while keeping mostly within his own lane, not even coming close to any of the cars around him. Truly impressive moves that left them both staring, speechless.

By this time, Hal had pulled over to the curb to avoid the mess. Bones, or whoever was driving the other truck, had effectively avoided the problem, but the drivers in the cars behind him did not share the same skill set, and they were slamming into the boxes, causing some of them to bounce off into the path of other cars, or to break open and spill their contents all over the road. Hal watched as the black truck made a turn and disappeared from sight.

"The guys are always bragging on Bones, saying he's the best defensive driver they have ever seen," Hal said with wonder. "Now I know what they mean."

"Well, that's certainly something that you don't see every day," Stephanie dryly commented. She shook her head, the delivery truck continued down the road, the driver still unaware of the boxes he was losing. And somehow unaware of the traffic hazard that he was creating. "Unbelievable," she muttered.

OoOoO

All summer long, Sydney would spend time on her grandparent's farm. She looked forward to it every year. While Aubrey loved tending to the animals in the barn, Sydney was out in the fields with her dad and her grandpa. They had her drive the old truck while they dealt with the big equipment. Baling hay was one of the biggest tasks, and they were glad to have an extra hand to make it go more smoothly. Grandpa's baling equipment was old and simple, and just big enough to make small squares of hay, about the size of a microwave oven. Poor grandpa seemed to have his hands full just keeping the thing working each year.

Funny, the memories that pop into your head at the strangest moments. Sydney nearly laughed out loud when the delivery truck ahead of her suddenly started spilling out boxes of tampons, right in front of her. She couldn't help but remember those days on the farm, driving along behind the baler. Her job was to keep the truck moving at just the right speed so that her dad could throw the random misshaped blocks into the back. Being the jokester that he was, he would periodically throw some of the blocks in her path so that she would have to drive around them, creating an obstacle course, of sorts, for her. She got really good at the game and her dad was always quick with his praise. Warm memories enveloped her as she now drove around the tampon boxes, avoiding each one, imagining what her dad would have said if he'd been with her. They would have shared a good laugh.

Her turnoff came up and she left the delivery truck and the tumbling boxes behind. The pleasant glow of her memories stayed with her as she made her way to the antique store that was next on her list. Sydney glanced at the address she'd written down on the sticky note now clinging to her rearview mirror. She was almost there. Sydney was smiling as she pulled up to the strange looking building. She had a good feeling about this. It was starting out to be a pretty great day!

OoOoO

"Nottingham Way?" Bones questioned. "Why would I have been driving on Nottingham Way?" he asked. Hal and Stephanie just looked at each other, while Bones stared at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

"I was wondering the same thing when I saw the truck," Hal said. "But it looked exactly like the one you drove off of the lot today, and it had a temporary permit in the back window," he added. Bones shook his head, he had no idea what they had seen. He just knew it hadn't been _his_ mad driving skills they had watched today. Hal shrugged, if it hadn't been Bones, he didn't know who it could have been. All of the trucks were here, he and Stephanie had noticed that when they pulled into the garage. For the time being, the mystery driver would remain just that. A mystery.


	3. Chapter 3

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 3

You never knew where you were going to find the best treasures. It was called antique _hunting_ for a reason. Across from an elementary school, an unusual looking building housed the 'Armies of the Past'. Tucked back away from the street, the flat roof made it look like it had been stepped on, smashed down. That feeling was emphasized by the huge oak trees towering over the small building. Another example of why you should never judge a book by its cover, she thought as she pulled her truck onto the gravel covered parking strip to the side of the building. She watched the man who stepped out of the store and walked out to greet her. He was an older gentleman, with a thick shock of white hair that seemed to be going in every direction. He was dressed in well worn tan cargo pants and an old black t-shirt that had been washed so many times it was now a soft gray. But his casual appearance was deceptive. His straight posture gave away his military background, he now stood 'at ease' with his feet apart and his hands clasped behind his back as he waited for her to join him.

"Harold Watkins," he said crisply, extending his hand to her. Sydney shook his hand with both of hers and smiled at the gruff old guy.

"Sydney Schaeffer, it's great to meet you Harold," she responded with a warm smile. She could see his tough demeanor melt away as she was led out back behind the building, where Harold had set up several pieces of furniture to show her. Under the canopy of trees, Sydney inspected the pieces one by one with Harold hovering like an expectant father in the maternity ward. His relief evident when she straightened up and stretched her arm out in an inclusive gesture.

"I'll take them all Harold," she said. "They are all every bit as wonderful as you said they would be."

The pieces were lovingly wrapped in old quilts and moving blankets before being tucked into the bed of her truck, and Sydney waved goodbye to Harold, who stood outside the door of his very unique shop. Sydney knew she had a new friend in the antique business. And she had no doubt that she would get a call from Harold every time he came across a piece of furniture that he thought she should see. She had developed similar relationships, over the years, with several antique dealers near New York City, and she still got regular calls from them. They were her best resource for finding the 'perfect' pieces for her clients. She liked Harold, it was going to be fun working with him.

Her next stop was nearly right around the corner. Robert Coyle ran his business from his home over on Park. Sydney hoped that she would not only find some great pieces, but gain another ally for her antique hunting venture. You could never have too many 'friends' looking out for you.

OoOoO

Rolling his eyes, Cal attempted to explain his position to Stephanie. Again. He faced her squarely, as she stood in the RangeMan garage with her hands on her hips.

"Steph, just because the skip's address is in a "nice neighborhood," he emphasized that statement with his fingers doing a double air quote gesture. "It does not mean that you don't need backup. You never know what you are going to find out there." The breath he let escape from his lungs indicated his exasperation with her.

Finally realizing that this was a fight she was not going to win, Stephanie relaxed and smiled at him.

"Okay Cal, your car or mine?" Cal looked at 'big blue', the car that Mr. Plum had just dropped off for Stephanie to use, and he shook his head. He did not hesitate as he pulled her arm and led her to his truck. There was no way he was going to be seen in big blue. There was also no way he wanted Stephanie to drive. Strange things always happened when she was driving. He didn't want to take any chances.

East Trenton was a nice neighborhood much the same way as Chambersburg was. And on Park Lane, the identical houses were lined up, perfectly spaced with driveways extending to garages at the back of the properties, tucked in between each house. Stephanie was intently scanning the houses and curbs, looking for the house numbers. They drove slowly down the street, and she finally said, "There it is." Pointing to the house in the middle of the block. They parked a few houses down and approached the house silently. Stephanie positioned herself at the front door while Cal moved around to the back of the house.

After waiting a minute, Stephanie knocked on the door. "Mr. Richan," she called out. She could hear a scuffling inside and within minutes, the back door burst open and a short, skinny man jumped off of the small back porch and into the big hands of the man dressed in black. Richan had just raised his hand to point his gun at Cal when he noticed the tattoo. He hesitated, it was enough, and Cal had the guy disarmed and on the ground in seconds. Stephanie joined them and cuffed the man. He was easily secured in the back seat of Cal's truck, and they were set to head over to the police station. Putting the gun in an evidence bag, Cal held it up so that Stephanie had to look at it. He didn't have to say a word, she got the message.

As he approached the end of the street, Cal noticed a familiar looking black truck. Looking carefully to see if another one of the guys was here, he caught a sight that was not at all typical in a RangeMan truck. The driver's door opened, first one slim black boot emerged, then the other, and Cal sucked in a breath as he watched. This was definitely not one of the RangeMan trucks, not with this driver. He kept watching, the boots were followed by long slender legs in sexy black jeans. The woman quickly closed the door and strolled up to the front door of the house. Cal watched every graceful movement. The sway of her hips, the confident way she held her shoulders back, the way her long wavy hair moved with each step. Lucky for him, she disappeared through the door, and he was able to gain control over his breathing again.

"Wow," was the only word that he could form in his head for a few moments. He recovered quickly enough that Stephanie didn't even notice that he'd been so distracted. She just smiled at him when he looked over at her. But as they headed to the TPD to drop off their 'guest', Cal was glad to leave it to Stephanie to drag the guy in and collect the body receipt. He was having a hard time getting the images of that woman out of his head. Sexy looking women and black F150's had never gone together in his mind before.

OoOoO

Already Sydney was heading back to NYC. Had it only been a week since she had left? The familiar sights welcomed her back. A part of her would always think of New York as her home. But a much bigger part was glad that she was only here for the day. She had lined up as many appointments as she dared for her day in the Big Apple, and she was ready to get busy.

Views from the penthouse apartment were breathtaking. From the lush stretch of Central Park to the recognizable skyline of Manhattan. But Sydney turned away quickly, too many memories, all centered around those times she spent here with Blake. A tightness in her chest nearly suffocated her. She had been able to put him out of her mind for a while, but now those memories came back with all the sorrow, humiliation and anger at the man who had treated her so badly. She slowly took in a deep breath, fighting for, and gaining control. Then she smiled and turned to face her client.

Mrs. Thomas R. Hebring III, Catherine, was ready to redecorate, again. It was a practically a semi-annual ritual for her, and she was absolutely gushing over the sketches and fabrics that Sydney had brought to show her. And because it would be such a lucrative job, Sydney didn't mind going the extra mile. She brought along her laptop to show Catherine the photos she had taken of the antiques that she had been able to find for her "new" look. The response was more than enthusiastic and Sydney was glad she had gone antique hunting last week. Harold's pieces were absolutely perfect, and having these pieces already in place gave Catherine the confidence in the design to go ahead with it immediately. Arrangements were made and the remodel was to begin in a few days. Fortunately, Sydney had a contractor, here in New York, that she loved to use. Manuel had already worked with her at the penthouse, he knew the layout, he knew the requirements, and Catherine knew him and liked the quality of the work he did. So Sydney was able to schedule most of the work through him, he could manage it all. She wouldn't have to be involved more than once a week or so. Perfect.

The day had been full, and long and very successful, but Sydney was glad to be heading home again. Hoping that she would be able to avoid most of the rush hour congestion, she was dismayed at the amount of traffic that seemed to be going her way. By the time she made it to the I-95, the sun was just thinking of dipping lower in the sky, angling with a glare at eye level, and casting long shadows. Several large trucks surrounded her, intermittently blocking the light. If she had been claustrophobic, it would have freaked her out. As it was, it was just a little inconvenient maneuvering between a Mayflower moving van on one side of her and a Crescent Trucking Line rig on the other. With an RV pulling a compact car behind it, and the large office supply truck behind her, the whole road seemed very crowded.

Suddenly it wasn't the large vehicles that grabbed her attention. She noticed the wheel of the small green Toyota Camry ahead of her. The hubcap was uneven and it looked like the tire was wobbling. Sydney's analytical mind tried to think through all the possible reasons that it could look like that, "Maybe it wasn't installed properly," she thought out loud. Or the driver had hit a curb and bumped the hubcap, or … a split second after it occurred to her that it could be another problem all together, Sydney made her move, smoothly crossing over several lanes of traffic, taking her from the right lane where the Camry was, over to get as far from the potential problem as she could get. By the time she had passed the car, the big trucks blocked her view again. She never knew if her suspicions were founded, but she was afraid that it was a disaster just waiting to happen. "Better safe than sorry," she whispered to herself, echoing the words her dad had used so often. Her journey home continued, and her thoughts turned back to the jobs she had done today, making mental lists of all of the things she had to get done first thing tomorrow.

OoOoO

The day spent in New York City had left the men exhausted. With a huge new account, they had been here to inspect several buildings in order make recommendations to their clients. Ranger had brought two additional crews with him to be able to tackle the job in one day. They had completed the task, but they were now all bone tired. Lester and Woody were leading the caravan of the three RangeMan trucks heading back to Trenton. Annoyed at the traffic, Lester was grumbling. Stealing a sideways glance at him, Woody tried not to laugh. It was an indication of just how tired they were, neither one of them could slip into the 'zone' easily right now. They just wanted to get home already.

After passing a big moving truck, Lester was surprised to see a black truck in front of him. But he just watched as it crossed over three lanes of traffic to the left lane. Without thinking too much about it, Lester followed the action, moving quickly into the same lane. If Woody was curious by his action, he didn't say anything, they continued along in silence. Suddenly they saw a small green car spin out of control, it had apparently blown out a tire and the driver lost control. The car skidded and went into a spin that took it into the lane next to it, hitting another car. They were then hit by two other cars that were unable to stop in time to avoid the problem.

Woody was wide eyed, "Les, did you see that?" he managed to say. He was all too aware that only moments ago, they had been directly behind that small Camry. It could have been them in the pileup of cars. Lester did not answer him, so Woody looked over at him. Lester had his phone in his hand.

"Ranger, excellent maneuvers man," he said into the phone. "We followed you when you changed lanes…"

He abruptly stopped talking, and in confusion Lester took a look in the rearview mirror and saw the other two RangeMan trucks lined up in the lane directly behind him. He shook his head slightly, and finally glanced over briefly at Woody. It had been the other two trucks that had followed Lester's move. That action saved all of them from becoming involved in the accident.

"Les?" "Hey man, what happened?" Woody asked. It was several long moments before Lester said anything.

"Someone in a black F150 just saved our butts." He finally said. "I thought it was Ranger, but…" he hesitated. "Take a look behind us," he said, looking in the mirror again.

Turning around in his seat, Woody glanced back to see the other guys, now traveling safely behind them. He let out a long breath, letting it whistle through his teeth as he turned back around.

"So, who is driving the other truck?' he asked in an incredulous voice.

"Yeah, that's the question," Lester answered. "Sure would like to meet him, Ranger is the only one I've ever known that could carry off that kind of instinctive driving" he concluded. And Woody nodded in agreement, trying to imagine who could be as good as Ranger. The six men in the three trucks were silent all the way home. All of them thinking about the mystery driver.


	4. Chapter 4

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 4

The curved windows of the second floor atrium allowed the sunlight to reach into every part of the large area. TD Bank recently moved their operations into the Capital Center building and had just finished an extensive renovation of the six story building. Located in the corner section of the building, it had the most unique art deco inspired design feature. The corners of each of the floors, including the main entrance on the ground floor, were rounded, gracefully curving in a semi-circle. On the second floor there was an atrium with a balcony overlooking the entrance below. And on every floor above it were circular galleries, glass enclosures following the curve of the corner. The bank had decided to bring an element of nature into these galleries and _Schaeffer Designs_ had been hired to help stage the areas with conversation groupings of furniture incorporated in and around the plants that would dominate the atrium and the windowed galleries on all of the floors.

After a thorough inspection of all of the areas she would be working on, Sydney made notes about the appropriate plants and trees that could be used in each of the areas. Immediately she knew exactly where she wanted to buy the furniture, deciding on the low, sleek modern look of leather couches and ottomans from her favorite Scandinavian design manufacturers in New York. It would be the perfect contrast to the natural, traditional look of pottery that she would get for the plants. She would use her contacts in the flower district to find oversized ceramic pots and planters and the trees. And fortunately the local nursery that her mother had always used, close to Aubrey's home in Lawrenceville, would have the plants that she would need. She loved Mazur's garden center, they always had the most unusual and hard to find plants, and 'unusual and unique' was the look she was going for. This was going to be fun.

With her final lists of specs. And with final approval of her sketches of the initial design ideas, she was ready to start making the purchases. Sydney reminded herself, once more, to line the bed of her truck with one of the tarps she found on her father's workbench in the garage. She was not about to ruin her new truck hauling around the plants she had to pick up from Mazur's. Sydney had asked for delivery of her order, but it would have taken two more days to get it here. And she needed the plants much sooner to complete the job on time. But this was, after all, one of the reasons she had wanted the truck, so she would be putting it to good use.

Several days later as Sydney was supervising the delivery of the furniture, a black truck pulled up next to the delivery van in the loading area. The truck itself would have been enough to draw her attention. But she was completely mesmerized as she watched two men, both well-muscled and both dressed in black, unload several boxes of equipment. Wordlessly they took the boxes into the building, disappearing from sight. Her curiosity was piqued, but her attention was immediately drawn back to the project at hand. As she got to work, she was left with just the impressions of the men she had seen. Particularly the one with blond, spiked hair and rugged good looks. She couldn't seem to get him out of her mind. She found herself wondering what he was doing here, and if she would see him in the building somewhere. But it didn't happen. Confused about her disappointment, she concentrated on her work.

By the end of the day, Sydney was satisfied with the look of the furniture that was all now in place. She couldn't wait to get the planters and pots in. The plants were going to be magnificent in this setting.

"Ah, Miss Schaeffer," said the tall gentleman walking toward her as he left the elevator at the end of the hall. "Just who I was looking for," he continued. She greeted Mr. Campaniello with a handshake.

"What can I do for you?" she asked. He indicated that they should sit down, and led her over to one of the new leather couches nearest the window. Sydney waited as he pulled out a folder and carefully rummaged through the pages until he found what he was looking for. As the coordinator of the renovation project, his attention to detail had impressed her from the moment she became involved with the company.

"Here it is," he said, referring to the work order now in his hand. "It looks like we have you scheduled to finish up with us tomorrow." An envelope seemed to suddenly appear in his hand, and he passed it to Sydney. "I look forward to seeing the final results," he said. "Everything so far looks exactly like your renderings, and I have no doubt that every detail will be perfect. But since I won't be able to be here tomorrow, I wanted to personally see to it that this got to you, and to thank you for your work with us." He made it a point to cast his gaze around the room. "We can't thank you enough for coming in with such short notice. You have been a life saver." His smile was warm and genuine. It was great working with people like Mr. Campaniello.

Sydney smiled at him and she accepted the envelope. It was always nice to get paid on time, let alone before the job was done. And before she had a chance to say anything, he rose and excused himself.

"I hate to run," he told her, "but the security experts are here to finalize the equipment check, and I do need to speak to them before they leave." Sydney stood, and shook his hand once again and then he was gone. She just shook her head a little as she gathered her things and headed out herself.

OoOoO

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the atrium. It filtered through the spikey leaves of the bamboo trees nearest the window, to cast intricate shadows on the smooth surface of the sleek tables and couches. Sydney looked around with pride. Each of the window areas was now complete and she was pleased with the final outcome. Rustic pots filled with lush, overflowing plants were arranged in groupings complimenting the linear look of the bamboo. Miniature fruit and Ficus trees in their large planters visually filled in the space, completing the garden effect she had hoped for. The miniature lemon and lime trees would be very fragrant when they were in bloom, adding yet another dimension to the design.

Another project was calling for her attention, so Sydney brushed the dirt from her hands and finished the final cleanup before she left. It was always satisfying to complete a job. She walked through each of the floors one last time. Every detail had to be perfect. On the fourth floor, she ran into her friend Carol. She was the personal assistant to Mr. Campaniello, and it had been Carol who had made the recommendation that Sydney be called in to oversee the atrium project.

"It is all so perfect," Carol gushed when she saw Sydney.

Sydney smiled. "Thanks," she said. "And thank you for lining up this job for me, one of my first big projects back here in town." It was also one of her first commercial projects, but it would not be her last. Word of mouth was about to keep Sydney very busy.

They talked for a while, and Sydney couldn't help but notice that Carol's eyes kept looking at the same spot near the ceiling under the archway they were standing next to. She raised an eyebrow the next time Carol's gaze drifted up to that spot again. Suddenly Carol seemed to realize what she was doing.

"Sorry Syd," she said. "I just can't get used to the fact that there are now security cameras all over the building." Her eyes looked up again and Sydney followed her gaze. In the archway, near the ceiling, a small circle was barely visible. Sydney could see that it had been strategically placed to be able to show the hall, as well as the atrium area. But she was more impressed with the installation of the camera. She recognized the state of the art equipment, and was amazed that it was hardly noticeable. Whoever was in charge of security had done a spectacular job, especially from a design perspective. It did not detract from any of the architectural features . As a designer, she appreciated that they had kept it as inconspicuous as possible.

Carol shook her head and focused back on her friend. They walked through the remaining floors together, Sydney inspecting each detail, and Carol admiring the beauty in each of the areas. They said goodbye when they reached the ground floor.

"Don't be a stranger," Carol said as she gave Sydney a quick hug. Sydney smiled, it had been nice to see Carol again. She waved once more as she walked through the door.

Sydney pulled her truck out of the parking lot, noting the time on the dashboard clock. It was still early enough, she had just enough time to get out to the other side of town, to pick up the antiques she had found through a contact on _Craig's List_. She cranked up her music and made her way to the other side of town.

OoOoO

It always amazed her that the most wonderful treasures could be found in the most unlikely of places. Passing the notoriously dangerous Stark street, Sydney turned on the next corner, into an equally old, run down and scary part of the neighborhood. She wasn't familiar with this part of town, and seeing it now, her hopes weren't high that the pieces that were advertised would be in the condition she needed them to be. But she couldn't reject them without at least checking them out first. So here she was, pulling up to an old, small, beat up house. Even before she had a chance to turn off the engine, a woman ran out of the house and headed toward the truck. Sydney stepped out as she approached.

"You here about the furniture?" the small, ancient looking woman in a faded house coat quickly asked.

Sydney nodded, "Yes, I'm very interested to see what you've got," she said.

The woman grabbed Sydney's wrist with her frail, gnarled hand, and pulled her quickly into the house.

"It's no good for a young woman, like yourself, to be seen walking around these parts," the woman said, once they were safely inside the house. Her eyes showing genuine fear, and Sydney was at once worried and touched by the woman's concern for her.

She took the woman's hand in both of her own, her signature handshake, and she introduced herself.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm Sydney, and you must be Edith."

Edith relaxed and smiled at her. "It's good to meet you Miss Sydney," she said, and again she grabbed her wrist and pulled Sydney along with her into another room. "You'll want to be seeing this now," she said as they walked down the short hallway. Sydney silently looked around the house. Outside it was rundown and rather shabby. But inside, Edith had taken pride in her home. It was old, but it was clean and orderly and filled with beautiful items, all obviously treated with Edith's tender loving care. As they entered the bedroom, Sydney was twice amazed. In front of her was the bedroom set that she sought. Part of the original John Widdicomb collection from the turn of the century. Edith was explaining that it was a gift from her parents when she got married. Originally it had belonged to her grandmother, so it had been in the family for over a hundred years.

Somehow, Edith had pulled the chest of drawers away from the wall, so that she could show Sydney the monogram printed on the back. She held her breath as Sydney inspected the perfectly preserved seal. It was the original Widdicomb design, definitely pre- 1920. This was exactly what Catherine had her heart set on. Ever since she had found the large Widdicomb bombe chest, she had studied the collection, and had fallen in love with the design. It was a true collector's dream, especially since the factory in Michigan had been closed several years ago. It would be better than Christmas when Sydney told her she had found this set.

"Edith, this is perfect," Sydney said. "Are you sure you want to sell it?"

The old woman nodded, the look of sadness in her eyes spoke of more than her words would reveal. "I am old, won't be around much longer," she said. "Outlived my whole family," she sighed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked up at Sydney.

"It is what you wanted?" she finally asked.

"It's exactly what I've been looking for," Sydney told her. Edith smiled her sad smile and stood.

"Good, then let's get this done," she said and walked back down the hall and toward the back of the house. In minutes, there were several big guys helping Edith carefully dissemble and load the furniture onto Sydney's truck.

"These are my neighbors," Edith explained, "They take care of me," she winked at them and they smiled back. When everything was loaded, they walked back into the house. Sydney shook hands with all the men as they left and then she turned to Edith. Handing her the envelope with the cash, as they had agreed on, she must have had a worried look on her face, so Edith took her hand once again and led her to the couch in the front room.

"Please don't worry about a thing," she said. "I'm leaving soon, and I couldn't take the furniture, even if I wanted to," she squeezed Sydney's hand once more and then she stood. "You have done me a big favor, and I know you'll make sure that someone treats the set with care." Sydney followed her to the door.

"Now hurry and get yourself out of here," she said with one more smile. Sydney said a quick goodbye and climbed into the truck, waving as she drove away.

You never knew what you would find, or where the best treasures were hidden. It would be hard to forget Edith, Sydney was sure that she would always remember the small woman as one of the most dear treasures ever hidden away, and she hoped that Edith would find happiness wherever it was she was going.

OoOoO

The sky was ablaze with an intense burst of colors, a final gift from the sun just before it settled in for the night. Tank and Bobby pulled into the old neighborhood, a block behind Stark street. This stakeout could be as short as a few minutes, or as long as a few hours. They would be here as long as it would take to get the intel that they needed. Keeping hidden in an alley between two dilapidated apartment houses, Tank pulled the truck up just far enough to see the back of the building they were here to watch. Bobby looked down the street and frowned. Tank caught the look, and Bobby motioned with his chin, directing his gaze down the street.

A black F150 was parked right out in plain view, in front of a small shabby looking house. Tank was immediately irritated. "Who the hell is out here?" he growled. He didn't want any of the Rangemen to give away their presence so obviously. "Must be one of the new guys," he was mumbling to himself as he pulled out his cell phone. But before he could make his call, his attention was once again focused on the truck in question.

Several large men were carrying furniture out of the little house. A young woman followed them out. She lowered the gate of the truck and pulled out some moving blankets. Both Bobby and Tank watched as the tall, slender woman effortlessly jumped into the bed of the truck and guided the wrapped furniture into place.

Bobby looked at Tank. Tank looked at Bobby. "I'll be damned," one of them said, while the other nodded in agreement. They silently continued to watch as the woman directed the loading of the remainder of the furniture. They saw her go back into the house. And they watched as she emerged a little bit later and rushed to the truck and drove away. Again they exchanged looks. What had surprised them more? The fact that someone other than the employees of RangeMan Inc. drove an unmarked, black Ford F150? Or, that they had actually seen the mysterious woman who was becoming an urban legend with the guys at RangeMan?

Until now, the only one to see the driver had been Cal. Now Tank and Bobby could confirm that there was indeed a sexy looking woman who drove a look-a-like black truck. But they still had no clues to the identity of the woman. And no way of knowing if she was the one driving in the other tales of incredible feats. They would be keeping their eyes out for this truck, and this woman, from now on.


	5. Chapter 5

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 5

Her call to Catherine was the highlight of her week. She was right, Catherine was so thrilled that her dreams of owning the Widdicomb collection were now a reality, that she squealed right over the phone line. Very uncharacteristic of the sophisticated, gracious woman everyone knew her to be.

Manuel said that it would be another week before the penthouse was ready for delivery of the furniture, so Sydney decided to leave the furniture in her truck and wait. Her current projects kept her close to home anyway, so she parked the truck safely in the garage and burrowed in to get her work done. Much of the work that Sydney needed to do for her New York clients consisted of detail work and research. Most of which she could accomplish from her home office, and using her contacts in NYC.

After having been largely ignored by Sydney for days, Aubrey came over in the middle of the week and forced her sister to take a break. She and the kids dragged her to the Philadelphia Zoo and she spent the day laughing with the them and allowing herself to just forget about anything else. It was the greatest day ever, and though there were many projects and things that needed to be done, Sydney was grateful that her sister had forced her to come.

Mandy and Ashley pulled their 'Auntie Sydney' around. Each having a hand to hang onto, they ran up and down all of the paths leading to the giraffes, the hippos, the bears, the camels, the lions. Sydney took pictures everywhere and the girls had no problem posing for each of their photo ops. Little Chris was content to be pushed around in the stroller by Aubrey, excitedly pointing at the animals that grabbed his attention. After getting sprayed by the elephant who decided to take an impromptu bath, and after being freaked out by the reptiles, that slithered up next to the glass barrier that was all that separated them, the girls declared it was time to eat lunch, so they dragged out the picnic basket that Aubrey had packed, and they settled in on the grassy picnic area, spreading out the big blanket that they brought along. It didn't take long, after lunch, for all three kids to dose off, giving Aubrey a chance to talk quietly with her sister.

"It wasn't your fault Syd," Aubrey was saying. She had tried to have this discussion several times with her sister, but Sydney had effectively cut her off each time. Aubrey would not back off this time. She was worried that her sister had withdrawn from wanting a relationship or from even having any kind of a social life. She had been hurt. And if it had been anyone but her sister, she could understand a little reluctance to meet new people. But Sydney was anything but shy, and up until now, she had pretty much gone out and done whatever she set her mind to. But after Blake, Aubrey had seen her sister shrink away from having contact with anyone that was not business related. She knew that Sydney had many friends that she could hang out with here in Trenton. But she poured herself into her work so that she was "too busy" to spend time with any of them. It angered Aubrey that this Blake jerk could have hurt her sister so deeply. And she was not about to stand by and watch her stop living her life. In her book, that would mean that Blake had won, and that was totally and completely unacceptable.

Keeping her attention focused on the bright blue balloon that had escaped from the grip of a child nearby, Sydney watched as it floated up higher and higher, until it was just a tiny dark speck. She took a deep breath, she knew she would have to answer her sister. Aubrey was never going to let this go.

"Doesn't make it hurt any less Brie," she whispered. She closed her eyes and remembered the last night that she had seen Blake. At his parents huge anniversary party, the night that her future was supposed to begin. The night they announced their engagement. It had been perfect, her family had been there, they had been watching with proud smiles. His parents stood by, so pleased to be sharing this special occasion with their son, and his bride to be. All of their friends were there to share in the celebration. And then… And then it all exploded in her face.

A beautiful woman, obviously very pregnant, showed up to announce to the world that she was expecting Blake's child. Choosing the moment perfectly, she walked, or rather waddled up to face Blake mere seconds after he had held Sydney's hand in his, smiling at her as the news of their engagement was shared with the entire crowd.

It had to be an outrageous claim, Sydney had first thought. Surely she was just another crazed lunatic trying to get her hands on the Westmore fortune. It couldn't be true. But when she turned to see how Blake had reacted, she saw it in his eyes. And when he immediately left her side and gently grabbed the woman, escorting her into another room. She and everyone else there knew that it was true.

"The guy was a jackass Syd," Aubrey insisted, trying to make her understand that he alone was responsible for his actions.

"But we were together for over a year, why didn't I see it? I should have known, sensed that something was wrong." Sydney had second guessed everything about their relationship from that moment on, and had refused to even think about having another relationship ever again. Aubrey was not going to let this continue. Her mother would not have wanted Sydney to beat herself up over the idiot, and neither would she.

"Times up," she said. And Sydney looked at her, puzzled. "It's been a hard year, but it is over." Aubrey said with force. "You need to move on now, you know that's what mom would tell you," she added with a softened tone.

"I miss them so much, Brie," Sydney said, barely hiding the tears in her voice. Her sister looked over at her, she saw the pain. She understood.

"That wasn't your fault either Syd," she said, touching her hand. "You can't keep blaming yourself over things you absolutely could not control." "They always wanted you to be happy, you know that don't you?" Aubrey said softly.

"Please Syd, don't give up on life, on love." She smoothed the hair on the head of her little boy, who was snuggled up against her on the blanket. "It can be good, really good. Don't close off the possibility because of what happened."

Tears filled Sydney's eyes. The pain still went deep. And the fear was real. She didn't want to put herself in the position to be so badly hurt again. But Aubrey was right. The only way to never be hurt, was to be alone. And being alone was hurting her too. She nodded, it was a small gesture, but it was enough. Enough to allow Sydney to believe that she could open herself up to someone again, someday. And enough for Aubrey to be satisfied that her sister would be okay.

No more discussion was possible as the girls suddenly woke up, rested now, and they wanted to continue their zoo adventures. Sydney was dragged off with them, as Aubrey put Chris in the stroller and cleaned up their little picnic.

OoOoO

Now that the second sighting of the woman in the black truck had been confirmed, all of the guys from RangeMan were actively looking for her. Of course, no one was quite sure what they would do if they were to find her, it just seemed like the thing to do. But for an entire week there was nothing. No one saw her, no one saw her truck, and they were all becoming a little bit discouraged. She had gone back into legend status again by the end of the fifth day. Tales were retold, the identity of the mystery driver was still unknown. And by the seventh day, they left it alone. Other matters took their attention.

They never realized that at the same time that they had been looking for her, she was always on the lookout for their black trucks. In fact, Sydney got a glimpse of Woody and Hector the day she was whisked off to the zoo. And like the guys, she was now more interested in the drivers, than the trucks they were in. She wanted to get another look at the man she had seen at the bank building.

OoOoO

Wishing Edith could see how beautiful her bedroom set looked in the newly remodeled master bedroom suite, Sydney took one last look before she left. Catherine was still raving about the 'miracle' that Sydney had performed by making her dreams come true. As glad as she was that Catherine was happy, Sydney hoped that she wouldn't be expected to pull off another miracle in six months.

She left the penthouse and finished her appointments, glad to leave the city behind. "Great place to visit, wouldn't want to live here," she laughed to herself as she drove back home. She found it hard to believe that she had indeed lived here, until just about a month ago.

As she got back into Trenton, Sydney remembered her list. She needed a few things, but she didn't want to go into a grocery store, so she stopped at the first convenience store that she saw. Pulling up behind another black F150, she looked closely, trying to see inside the tinted windows, she was very interested to see who driving this one. But as she pulled in, the truck pulled out and drove around the corner. Sydney sighed as she jumped down and ran into the store. She was more than slightly disappointed that she didn't get to see an Adonis or two today.

It didn't take long to grab the few items that she needed. She climbed into her truck and twisted around to tuck the bag behind the driver's seat. Suddenly there was a commotion from behind the store and Sydney looked up to see two young punk kids, waving guns as they ran around the corner of the building. They were being chased by two large men in black clothes. It was obviously an uneven match up, the kids were easily overtaken. The men quickly disarmed them and pulled them down, cuffing their hands behind their backs in one smooth move.

Sydney couldn't take her eyes off of the guys in black. She sat there immobilized, staring. She may have stopped breathing for a moment. They were both tall, easily over 6'2". They both had massive chests, their black t-shirts stretched across hard, well defined muscles. They were both incredibly good looking, but Sydney was staring at one of the guys specifically. He was the man she had seen before. The one she had been looking for ever since. He had hair that was so blond, it was nearly white, it was worn short and spiked on top. She kind of liked the bad boy image it gave him, and she could see that he could, indeed, back that image up. With the authoritative way he moved, and the grim look on his face as he hauled one of the kids away, he certainly gave off a 'don't mess with me' vibe. Sydney finally forced herself to take a slow, deep breath, as the men disappeared around the corner. And she just sat there, still looking at the place that they had just been, mesmerized by what she had seen. Then the thought occurred to her, last time she had seen him was at the Capital Center building. She had noticed him there, but she wasn't able to get much more than a quick look then, either. What was it about these guys? Everything always happened too fast. But there was something about him. He left her heart pounding and her head spinning, and she wanted to know more about him. She hadn't expected these feelings, and Sydney sat there just thinking of her mystery man. Suddenly her passenger door opened and she snapped out of her daze, trying to focus on who was standing there.


	6. Chapter 6

Standard FF Disclaimers apply

Ford F150

Chapter 6

"Vince and Ram are going to need back up," Ranger was saying, as he was staring at the tracking maps, phone in hand. Lester was on the other end of that line. "You and Junior are closest, get over to the 7-11 on Lalor,"

Les passed the message on to Junior, who was driving, and they got there in record time. The two FTA's in question were being followed when they decided to acquire some extra spending money by holding up the convenience store. Back up had been requested because both of the skips were armed. Pulling up in front of the indicated store, Les jumped out and ran in to check on the the situation. While waiting in the truck, Junior's phone buzzed and he answered with the customary "Yo." Nodding his head, he ended the call and drove around the corner to meet up with Vince.

Lester walked through the store, it was quiet. He saw the clerk, looking very nervous, chewing on his bottom lip. He looked at Lester and pointed with his head to indicate the back room. There was only one person in the store at the moment, he could see the back of her head a couple of rows over. It was obvious that nothing was happening out here, so Les dipped his head in acknowledgement, and headed toward the back. He moved stealthily, taking in the situation that he saw before him.

A young woman with red apron was standing between two 'kids' wearing skater pants and shoes, with baseball caps pulled down low on their foreheads. The clothes made them appear younger than they were, Les knew that these guys were at least 19 or 20. "Stupid punks," he thought to himself. They were each holding a gun to the head of the trembling girl. Ram was quietly talking, attempting to negotiate with them. Sneaking up between the stock shelves, Lester was able to get his attention. Silently they communicated. Ram continued his dialog with the kids, convincing them to move closer to the back door. Les moved up behind them and at the precisely timed moment, he quickly grabbed the girl pulling her back with him. The startled men stood for a second realizing that they were now pointing their guns at each other. They panicked and practically tripped over each other as they ran out the door.

With Vince and Ram on their heels, they circled around the building in their attempt to get away. But it was useless and a few minutes later they were cuffed and packed into the back of the truck. Vince wasted no time at all, and they left immediately to drop the skips off at the TPD. Leaving the other guys to take care of things at the store.

After a few tense moments, Lester had calmed the girl down enough that she could give her statement to the cops that had now shown up. He then walked back through the store and briefly spoke with the clerk. He finished up, and headed out to the truck that was right where he had last seen it. "After all this, I could really use a cold one" he was saying to himself as he pulled the door open and started to climb up to the seat. "Let's get the hell out of here," he said as he looked over at Junior.

She raised her sunglasses and he saw her big green eyes open wide as she stared at him. Les swallowed, this was not Junior. He looked her over, taking in the long silky looking hair, the toned arms resting on the steering wheel, the tight shirt revealing her amazing curves, the long legs. He raised an eyebrow in surprise and appreciation. This woman had the whole package all tied up with a big bow! He was about to use one of his famous come-on lines, but when his eyes made their way back to hers, he could see there was a smirk in them now. "Did you want to go anywhere in particular?" she said sweetly, tilting her head, her eyes penetrating his. The smile that touched her lips nearly made his heart stop.

Usually, Lester Santos was not at a loss for words. He considered himself to be a ladies man, a smooth operator. But suddenly his mind went blank. He stared at her for a moment and was hit by the absurdity of the situation. Regaining a semblance of his normal 'cool' demeanor, he backed down out of the truck. He slightly bowed to her, "Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am." He then winked at her and said "My mistake." Closing the door, Lester stood there and watched as she pulled away from the curb and disappeared down the street. Even with all of the rumors going around RangeMan about the mystery woman, until now he had never really been able to picture a beautiful woman driving one of these big black trucks. He shook his head slowly, letting what he had just seen finally soak into his brain. Seeing her here now, completely altered his sense of reality.

"Les!" "Les, hey man, where'd you go?" Junior came out of the store. He had missed the whole encounter. "Come on, man," he pulled at his arm. "The truck is around here." He walked around the building. Eventually, Les pulled himself out of his trance and followed.

OoOoO

After his up close and personal encounter, speculation about the mystery woman was renewed by Lester. He now had more details to add to the previous descriptions, including the sound of her voice. The guys wondered out loud who she was, where she was from, what she was like. Ranger walked into the break room in the middle of this discussion. He walked over to sit next to Stephanie, kissing her cheek as he sat close to her. She allowed an indulgent smile to spread to her lips, she knew that Ranger would put an end to all of this stupid talk. But her smile faded fast when he joined in the speculation. That was just too much.

Stephanie was getting tired of everyone obsessing over this phantom lady. So, she was hot. So, she drove a truck like theirs. So, she had a sexy voice and 'incredible' green eyes. Enough already. They didn't really know anything about her. Not anything real like: Her name.

Stephanie was almost, repeat_ almost_, willing to get herself thrown in a pile of garbage or get another car blown up just to give them something else to talk about. With the mother of all eye rolls, she walked out of the room, not willing to listen to any more of this nonsense. Whoever she was, she was just a regular person, not the elusive super goddess that they were making her out to be.

After pouring a cup of coffee, Ram leaned against the counter and listened to the running commentary about the woman they had seen. Cal's description could have been almost any woman with long hair, and he hadn't thought much about it. But Lester grabbed his attention when he started talking about her eyes. Not that long ago, Ram had noticed a beautiful woman with green eyes. It was during their job at the TD Bank, he saw her briefly in the loading area. Now all of the details seemed to match up. Her long hair had been tied back with a strip of leather that day, she wore sexy jeans that showed off her long legs and great curves, and he had seen the sparkle in those green eyes. He started to wonder if they could be talking about the same person. His relaxed position against the counter belied the heart pounding jealousy that he felt. He had been playing the image of this woman over and over in his head since the day he'd seen her. And if it was her, he didn't like all the guys talking about her. 'Damn' he thought, as he dumped the untouched coffee into the sink, and followed Stephanie out of the break room. He had never been affected like this by a woman before. It unnerved him more than a little bit. He didn't know who she was, but he couldn't get her out of his mind.

OoOoO

Pipes and vents, painted to match their crisp white background, crisscrossed the vaulted ceiling overlooking the workstations of the architecture firm of Duncolhme and Associates. On a huge worktable in the middle of the room, large sheets of mylar detailed the plans for their latest project. Sydney stood next to Robert Duncolhme himself. As the owner and head architect of the firm, he was interested in her recommendations for the spaces they had been commissioned to design.

This was the fifth architectural firm she had worked with this month, and she found it interesting that they were all located in the same general area. Sydney was spending a lot of time downtown in buildings overlooking the Delaware River. Mr. Duncolhme had been much more receptive to listening to her ideas than most of the architects that she had had to work with. Generally, men in this profession did not like to have their designs second guessed by an interior designer. It just wasn't done! She was glad to see how cooperative he had been. As for his project, this one would be easy to adjust to her proposals. Her clients would be pleased. They could start construction on schedule, now that the plans could be so easily adapted.

Word of mouth is the best advertising of all, and interest in Sydney's commercial design business was exploding. The work at the TD Bank had generated a buzz and she was now involved in projects ranging from re-decorating existing spaces, to being called in to help architects, like Duncolhme, draw up designs for new construction. If she had ever had any qualms about establishing her business in Trenton, she could now put them to rest. Sydney was becoming every bit as successful here, in her home town, as she had been in New York.

Her only regret was that her parents were not here to share in her achievements. They had always been so proud of her work. Moments like this were bittersweet. Sydney really missed her parents, the bear hugs from her dad, her mother's glowing encouragement.

Sometimes, the pain of her loss still hit her with a gale force, leaving her unable to stand. After Blake had dragged her through the worst experience of her life, she thought nothing could get worse. She was wrong.

The hurt that Blake caused her was nothing compared to the pain she and Aubrey had to deal with when a drunk businessman decided that he could drive himself home after a long night of partying with his associates. Sydney still had nightmares about that night and the phone call that told her they were gone.

In the aftermath of the Blake incident, her parents had discussed staying home from a scheduled company retreat. Sydney had thrown herself into her work, trying to keep busy enough that she could forget about Blake and his betrayal. They were worried about her, they knew that she wasn't sleeping very well, and she was losing weight. Her mom offered to come stay with her for a while, at least then she would have someone to talk to. But Sydney felt that she had already caused enough grief in her parent's life, she didn't want them changing their plans because of her too. Knowing that her father had been one of the organizers of the whole event, Sydney insisted that they go. She didn't want them to miss this just because she was upset about her broken engagement and the humiliation that the incident brought. This was her problem to have to deal with. Sydney urged them not to miss out on the big retreat, assuring them that she would be fine. So they went.

Returning late that Sunday night, her parents were traveling on a relatively secluded section of the highway, when they met the businessman. He had miscalculated the curve in the road and ended up in their lane. Leaving them no time to react, he hit her parent's car head on. There weren't any skid marks. It had been instant. Final. No one survived the crash.

It wasn't fair, a senseless tragedy, it should never have happened. They had been so reluctant to leave her. She had promised them that she would be okay. The guilt that Sydney still carried was a painful burden. Sorrow threatened to drown her more times than she could count in the months that followed the accident. Her life had been truly turned upside down. Nothing that she had known or that she had always counted on was there anymore. Deeply shaken, she decided that she needed to get grounded again, to feel some kind of peace. That was when she had made the decision to return to Trenton. Now she could see that it had been the best choice to make. Being home, and close to Aubrey had given her strength, helped her move forward.

But only time could heal her heart.


	7. Chapter 7

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 7

As she was surveying the details of another finished project, Sydney looked for the security cameras. It had become a habit of hers for some time now. She found out that many of the businesses that she had done work for had their security services through a company called RangeMan. It was, she found out, owned by R.C. Manoso. She had looked up the company after hearing so much about it. The name had seemed familiar, but she couldn't think why.

As she had been, since that first job at TD Bank, Sydney was impressed with their work. All of their systems, that she had seen, were installed perfectly to blend in with the architectural features of the room. Along with their obvious satisfaction with the service they provided, Sydney's clients all seemed to be impressed with the men who worked for RangeMan Inc. Details of these men were often accompanied with a sigh. At least by the women that she spoke to.

Her curiosity had been peaked that first time when her friend Carol had pointed out the cameras at the bank. She may not have liked the idea of cameras everywhere, but Carol had definitely enjoyed watching the installation of them. Carol had sounded out of breath, when she described the way the tight black shirts stretched across their muscles while the guys were working. Not a professional assessment, but it was an honest female reaction!

With a smile, Sydney suddenly remembered where she had seen the name Manoso before. The day she picked up her truck, and now she realized that the men she had been seeing in the black F150s must all work for this security company.

In fact, it must have been some RangeMan employees that she had seen at the bank that day. She could identify their work no matter where she went. It was fantastic. It hadn't take long for Sydney to start recommending RangeMan to her clients who were thinking of getting security systems installed. She was that impressed. And if she was honest with herself, she would admit that she found herself more than a little bit impressed with that man with blond hair. It appeared that her heart had not been completely destroyed after all. There was still enough life left in it to allow her to feel the pull of the attraction to him. He was the one she now looked for, in every black truck she saw. He was the one she couldn't get out of her mind.

She had even started to think about a installing a security system in her house. It was her business as well as her home, and at any given time, she had expensive antiques stored there if she had to wait to deliver them. It was sounding like a good idea, but she wasn't sure if RangeMan did security for just regular residential clients. Sydney decided that she would call tomorrow and ask a few questions. For now, she needed to finalize the paperwork with her client before she could head home. Still she couldn't help but wonder… if RangeMan did do residences, would her favorite man in black be the one who would come to install the system for her? And if he did, what would she do? It surprised her how nervous just the thought of it made her. Her heart raced, and she had to remind herself to breathe whenever she thought about him. She had never felt this way before, not even with Blake. And she didn't even know him. Sydney shook her head and forced herself to take a deep breath, she needed to concentrate right now.

She would have to fantasize about him later.

OoOoO

First thing every Friday morning the core group of RangeMan Inc. met for their weekly briefing. Today was no exception. The lights were slightly dimmed in the conference room, allowing everyone to see the charts of figures now being projected onto the screen that was placed high on the wall at the far end of the room. Tank was going over the stats from sales for the previous week. His detailed explanations kept the group informed about the status of the business. Another set of graphics flashed onto the screen. With his commentary, they could all see that Tank couldn't hold back his excitement.

The company had been steadily growing over the past year. Word of mouth had supplied the bulk of their business, it was a proven formula and they had been pleased with the results. Tank referred back to the screen several times. One graph showed the steady increase in new clients. "This is a new trend we are seeing," he said. "See this spike?" he was pointing to the graph again. "It represents a nearly 300% increase in new contracts." His elation was evident, and it inspired discussions on what could have caused the sudden boost in sales. Tank sat back and just listened. He had been just as curious when he first saw the numbers, and had done some investigating before the meeting. But he would wait until Ranger got here to share what he had found. He should be here any minute now.

With a stack of papers rustling in his hands, Ranger walked into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. All eyes turned to him. Tapping the pile of work orders that now sat on the table in front of him, he scanned the group and finally spoke. "Does anyone know who Sydney Schaeffer is?" His question was met with curious glances and heads shaking. That name did not sound familiar to any of them.

"Why?" asked Lester. "What did this Schaeffer guy do?"

Tank looked over at Ranger who nodded slightly, and then he answered Lester's question. "A Sydney Schaeffer of Schaeffer Designs has been recommending RangeMan to all of her clients here in Trenton and even New York City." A few eyebrows were raised at that statement. Everyone was accustomed to getting referrals, but they usually came from longtime customers that they knew well. Could one person really be responsible for the huge increase of their business? "The person recommending our services isn't even a client of ours." Tank added as he glanced at the papers that Ranger had in front of him.

When Ranger spoke, he laid his hand flat on the pile of work orders that he had brought. "All of the new accounts with Schaeffer's referrals have come in the last two weeks. Most are commercial accounts, but there are a few high end residential clients here too, including one on Central Park West." Heads were nodding, it sounded good to the group. It was always great to get new business, but they couldn't have anticipated what Ranger would say next.

"Stephanie has been the one to do the initial consultations for each of these new accounts." Ranger's eyes met Tank's again before he finished his statement, they had not talked about this detail yet. "Each of the new clients, who came in on Schaeffer's recommendation, had already made their mind up to work with us. Every single one, it was 12 for 12."

This was a truly amazing stat, and they all knew it. Closing a sale, even from a good recommendation, happened less than fifty percent of the time. For a full minute there was silence in the room, while the men let that information sink in.

Suddenly everyone in the room began talking at the same time. This was a development that needed to be addressed. RangeMan Trenton had been growing slowly, if steadily, all year. Several new employees had already been hired, but with this work load, they would be needing even more help here and in the New York office, and fast. There was a lot of work to be done.

Amid the noise in the room, the buzzing of the intercom phone could barely be heard. But the accompanying blinking red light attracted Tank's attention and he grabbed the receiver. "Speak," he said. Ranger glanced over and looked at Tank's face. His eyes were widening, and his lips were moving slightly, though no sound was coming from them.

"What is it?" Ranger asked him, slightly alarmed by his actions.

With his hand over the mouthpiece, Tank extended the phone to Ranger. "A question about RangeMan services," he said. "Sydney Schaeffer is on the line, she wants to know what kind of residential services we offer." At the mention of the name, silence descended on the room once again.

"Tell them to make an appointment with her," Ranger said immediately. "For Schaeffer I don't care what kind of house it is. We will definitely do her residence."

OoOoO

Here she was, coming back to the upper east side of the city she had loved so much. Sadly it had become a place to avoid for the better part of a year now. Remembering how she came here to eat with Blake, every Wednesday afternoon, caused Sydney to take a deep breath and force herself to hold her head up as she approached the front door. To think that at one time Blake had seemed so romantic, bringing her here every week to the place where they had met.

Today she was meeting with her good friend Llana, who wanted to mark this occasion with her friend that had loved the restaurant as much as she did. Sydney could only hope that Blake now avoided this place as diligently as she had been.

Sydney sighed, she was still feeling a little foolish. The security system was being installed in her house today, and she had accepted Llana's invitation knowing that she would have no way to get back in time to be there. It was easier than she thought it would be to talk Aubrey into coming over to the house to wait for them. Of course, she knew that Aubrey wouldn't have let her off the hook if she had known that she was running away from something. She knew that she had chickened out. The possibility that the one man in black that she wanted to see, would be there, suddenly scared her. What was wrong with her? She gave herself another minute of self-recrimination and then she squared her shoulders and pushed the doors open.

Reflections were repeated in the narrow vertical rows of beveled mirrors lining the wall behind the sleek black bar. La Caprice was elegant and sophisticated, it had been one of Sydney's favorite restaurants since the day she had arrived in New York. She walked past the mirrors to the far side where she knew Llana would be found at her preferred table overlooking the "pond". She took in the black and white décor, the shiny surfaces, the sleek designs. By this time next week, La Caprice would be closed. It was both sad and fitting, Sydney thought. It was almost a relief that she would never have to come here again, never have to be reminded of her memories.

Waving her arm frantically, high over her head, as if Sydney wouldn't be able to see her otherwise, Llana smiled as she waited for Sydney to reach table. "He is not here, I checked," she whispered. The compassion in her look told Sydney that her friend hadn't forgotten what this place used to mean to her.

True to her nature, Sydney could see that Llana could hardly wait to share all the latest gossip with her. Sydney had been out of the loop for months, but that had been her choice, she was not sure if she wanted to catch up on all the 'news' that she knew Llana had to tell her. Showing incredible restraint, Llana waited until after they had ordered, to start in on the tidbits she had stored up to talk about today. Sydney tried not to act too surprised when the first topic up for discussion happened to be about Blake.

"No one knew anything about the private ceremony that his parents insisted that they have," Llana said with a gleam in her eye. "I heard that the little witch was fit to be tied, she had effectively gotten her hooks into a Westmore, she wanted everything that went with it, and no one was invited to the secret wedding."

Llana only barely suppressed a giggle when she told Sydney about the pre-nup she was required to sign before Blake was allowed to marry her. Not to mention the fact that she had been literally shunned from the high society crowds that thought she would be part of.

"If you ask me," Llana continued, "You dodged a bullet by getting out of Blake's life," "I would hate to see you tied to that idiot for the rest of your life. Really Sydney, none of us saw his true colors til that night." She gave Sydney a sympathetic look and reached over and grabbed her hand in an act of solidarity. "We wanted you to be happy, it tore us apart to see what Blake put you through."

Realizing what she was saying, her friend stole a sideway glace to see how this information was affecting Sydney. She was surprised to see how calm she looked. Sydney was silent as the food was served, and the waiter walked away from their table. When they started talking again, they had moved on to the upcoming opening at the art gallery that Llana managed. As if by some unspoken agreement, they had decided that Blake was no longer worthy of their time or attention. And at some point during that afternoon, Sydney realized that she no longer cared about Blake, the acute pain that she used to feel every time a memory surfaced, or his name came up, was gone. By the time they walked out of the restaurant for the very last time, Sydney felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart. She was free to feel happy, free to find someone to love. And the face that immediately came to mind was a man dressed in black.

OoOoO

Everyone at RangeMan knew that the Schaeffer job was scheduled for this afternoon. And almost everyone wanted the chance to be the one who got to be there. Ranger was as curious as the rest of his men about Sydney Schaeffer. He was also grateful for the business she had brought, and continued to bring to his company. So today was very important to him, and he wanted to send his best technicians to install her security system.

Stephanie had done the preliminary consultation. Pulling up to the house for the appointment, Stephanie had no idea who Sydney Schaeffer was. Other than the fact that she had been bringing business to RangeMan, she knew nothing about her. Part of Stephs job was to assess the needs of the client. That meant a preliminary discussion of the services offered was followed by a walkthrough of the premises to see what they had to work with. Halfway through the inspection of the house they came to the garage, a key area that needed added security. Sydney opened the door and Stephanie's eyes were immediately drawn to the big black truck parked there. "Is this your truck?" she asked.

Sydney nodded. It was then that Steph finally took a close look at Sydney Schaeffer. She was tall, probably 5' 9" or so. She was slender and showed a preference for wearing black jeans and black leather boots (she could swear that those were the Pradas she and Lula had been drooling over-she had excellent taste in clothes). Sydney also had long wavy hair, it reached nearly to her waist and Steph noted with a touch of jealousy that it looked silky smooth. And then there were her green eyes that were very expressive, especially when she laughed. The realization finally hit her. Steph was staring at the mystery woman!

And though she hated to admit it, Stephanie realized that she liked Sydney. So the guys had been obsessing over the woman they had only seen. She knew that if any of them ever actually met her, they would be even more impressed with her. She found that Sydney was smart, and ambitious, yet she was so down-to-earth and easy to talk to. And funny. It had been great getting to know her. By the time she left, Stephanie knew that she would be glad to count Sydney as a friend. And Sydney felt better than ever about recommending RangeMan to her clients.

Since Stephanie shared Ranger's desire to have the best done for 'Ms. Schaeffer', she took detailed notes as she asked lots of questions to identify her needs and expectations. The system would be designed with these needs and with the layout of the house in mind. She knew just who to send in to do the job. Stephanie smiled as she drove away, she could not wait to get back and share what she had found out about their mystery woman.

OoOoO

Pulling up to the address, Raphael subtly surveyed the property. He also glanced around the neighborhood. While it was not a gated estate, like most of their residential clients, it was a large house in one of the nicest areas of Trenton. Ram was looking closely at the house for an entirely different reason. He was actually nervous. Just picturing that it could be her on the other side of the door had him struggling to breathe normally. He shook his head, this behavior was just so uncharacteristic for him, since when had he ever let a woman get to him like this?

The boxes of equipment had been quickly unloaded and Raphael and Ram were now standing on the porch, waiting for the door to open. Ram pushed Raphael slightly ahead of him, indicating that he wanted him to take the lead, make the introductions. His throat was tight and dry, and Ram did not trust himself to be able to speak. Again he wondered what was wrong with him, he never acted this way.

As if in slow motion, the door finally opened. Raphael extended his hand. Ram had been looking down at his feet. The moment he had been agonizing over was here and he lifted his gaze to the woman standing in the doorway. He froze.

He looked at her short hair. She looked at him with her golden brown eyes. This was not her. Where was she? He had been so sure that the mystery woman had to be the woman from the bank. Raphael was talking to her and her attention left Rams gaze and turned back to him. With a supreme effort, Ram pulled himself together and followed Raphael into the house. Trying not to be too obvious, he looked around to see if anyone else was here. His disappointment surprised him. Then bits of the conversation that Raphael had had with this woman finally got through. Sydney was in New York, she was delayed and wasn't able to make it back in time for their appointment. Her sister, Aubrey, had volunteered to be here to let them in. Pushing away the feeling of being so letdown, he took a deep breath and concentrated on the job. That is what he was here to do, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

Standard FF disclaimers apply

Ford F150

Chapter 8

The house was eerily quiet tonight. Sydney looked over as Aubrey closed the flaps on another box and carefully placed it on the donation pile. A sniffle was the only telling sound. It had been an emotional day, sorting through their parent's belongings, memories tearing at their hearts, intensifying their feelings of loss.

"That's good for today, I should probably be getting back to the kids," Aubrey said as she turned to look at Sydney. Noticing the tears in her sister's eyes, she pulled her into a hug. "It's okay," she said soothingly. "I miss them too."

Sydney pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her face, trying to gain control over this last wave of grief. She pulled back from her sister, and nodded. No more words were spoken as they walked down the hall to the kitchen where Aubrey grabbed her purse, and carefully picked up a box.

Just before she got into her car, Aubrey turned. She met Sydney's eyes. "It will get easier, with time," she said softly. Again Sydney nodded. She remained standing there long after Aubrey's car had disappeared down the street. She was still there when an old model Mustang pulled up to the curb. Two large men emerged from the car and approached her. Recognition took a few moments, but then Sydney remembered these guys. They were Edith Kelemen's friends.

They were big guys, tall and muscular, and could have been intimidating if she hadn't already seen how gentle they had been with Edith. One of the men stepped closer, "You remember me?" he asked in a deep voice. Sydney nodded and he handed her an envelope. "Open it," he simply said.

The envelope was unmarked, and held only one sheet of paper inside. Sydney unfolded the letter and silently read.

_Miss Sydney,_

_It is time for my journey to begin. I have been expecting it for some time now , and I am ready to go. I hope that you will be willing to help me one last time. As I told you when we met, I won't be able to take anything with me where I am going. And I have no one left to leave my things to. So I am leaving them with you. You are the only person I know that will know how to find homes for the treasures that have meant so much to me. _

_Please Sydney, I hope it is not a burden. I like you and trust that you will do the best thing._

_Edith _

As she looked up, she turned her misty eyes to the man still standing in front of her. Her emotions were already raw, the tears were very close, and her throat felt tight. The question she needed to ask stretched out between them.

"She died over a week ago. " It was the second man who spoke. He now stepped forward and reached his hand out to Sydney. "We had a hard time finding you," he said. Placing a key in her hand, he looked at her intently.

"Edie left boxes stacked in her front room. She wants you to have them." He looked apologetic as he glanced back at his car. "We couldn't bring the stuff to you, is there any way you can come get it?"

When the first man spoke again it was with urgency in his voice. "The landlord is not patient, he wants the place cleared out by tomorrow." At the shocked look on Sydney's face, he quickly added, "We can help you load it up, but we need to do it soon."

"Can you come now, tonight?" they asked.

OoOoO

It wasn't often that a skip could get away from the rangemen. So when it happened, the guys got really pissed off. But that only meant that they would change tactics, find another way to get the job done. Reynaldo Jimenez had proven himself to be slippery, he had avoided capture twice now. But instead of feeling smug about his ability to out maneuver Ranger's men, he was angry that they were still coming after him. He did the only thing that he could do, he disappeared, hoping that they would think that he had skipped the country to get away from them. After three weeks of hiding out, however, Jimenez had reached his limit. His business was suffering from trying to stay under the radar, and he had things to do now. So, figuring that he'd been gone long enough to lose his trackers, he came out of hiding to get back to work.

All morning he was able to go about his business undeterred. At first Reynaldo had been cautious, constantly looking over his shoulder, watching for them. By the afternoon, though, he had almost forgotten that he was being hunted.

Stark street boasted three 24-7 bars, seedy establishments offering booze and pool tables and 'business' connections to all who came seeking them. Bookies, pool sharks, hookers, drug dealers, you could find them any time of night or day. This made Reynaldo's business easy, he was all about convenience. In fact, he lived in an old apartment building just down the street from the bars. All he had to do is walk out of his home and circulate between the barrooms, continually making the rounds and being accessible to anyone who wanted to place bets on the upcoming cock fights. Convenience, it was the name of the game.

It had been an exceptionally successful day, and by late afternoon, he was feeling good enough to let his guard down and relax. He just wanted to enjoy himself a little after being hidden away for so long. Happy hour had a whole new meaning to him today, and he was truly enjoying himself. A few drinks, and he was ready to buy himself a little companionship. Jimenez swept his eyes around the hazy room. His gaze finally fell on the brunette sitting alone at the end of the counter. She must have been new, he didn't recall seeing her here before. But, of course, he had been away long enough, it was logical to him that some new faces could have shown up in his absence. And that just made her all the more interesting to him, she wouldn't know him either. This could be fun. He studied the woman for a while, deciding that he liked the way her curly hair seemed slightly out of control, giving the impression that she could be wild when she wanted to be. The makeup, the clothes, and her attitude all reinforced a recklessness that he found particularly appealing.

Just as Reynaldo was going to make his move, the woman stood and walked toward the back, probably went to 'freshen up' he surmised. But he was not worried at all. Just as he made the rounds between the bars, he knew that a woman in her obvious profession would do the same thing. He would just follow her, and introduce himself when she got to the next stop. Stepping outside, he leaned up against the wall of crumbling stucco, lighting a cigarette as he waited for her. Shaking the match to extinguish the small flame, Jimenez looked up. His eyes caught the movement of a black truck. He swore and moved quickly back into the darkness of the alley behind the bar. Suddenly all of his previous anger came back in waves, he knew what the black trucks meant. The hunt was still on, they had not given up the search for him at all, and there he was, practically inviting them to come grab him and take him in.

The anger flared in his chest, the liquor muddled his brain and he lost control. Instead of hiding away again, he became belligerent. No one was going to intimidate him any longer, he decided. He knew exactly what he was going to do. They would learn not to mess with Reynaldo Jimenez!

OoOoO

Russell Adam Mortensen started going by his initials, long before he played football in high school. Long before he joined the military. And long before he met his cousins from New Jersey. Ram had never really liked his name. His father was Adam Russell, and his grandfather was the original Russell Adam. It was as if these family names were just being recycled over and over again, leaving no room for individual identity. So he made sure that no one knew what his full name was. He actually started referring to himself as Ram before he was ten years old. The older he got, and the larger he got, the more the name fit.

He had ended up in the military by the time he was 18. At boot camp he ran into his cousin, and became part of the group of friends that were there together. By then 'Ram' was accepted as his name, and nobody questioned it, as they all had nicknames of their own. It had been his contacts in the military that brought him here to work with RangeMan when it was just getting started. While Ram was proficient in the specific set of skills he learned from the Army Rangers, he was gifted with technical skills that made him one of the best at installation and maintenance of the RangeMan security systems. It was usually Ram that got the most difficult and the most important assignments.

This afternoon, however, Ram was assigned to do surveillance down near Stark Street. And unlike many of the rangemen, Ram looked forward to it, because it was so rare that he got to do it. The last time he had been out doing something other than installation, was when they took in those punks who held up the 7-11. He and Vince were back working together again. They tucked their truck between the same apartment houses where Tank and Bobby were before. They had not been there long when they saw the black truck drive by them and park in front of the old house down the street. Ram's eyes followed the truck with interest as it approached. He was surprised when he saw who was driving, it was Sydney Schaeffer, what was she doing down here?

He watched as Sydney jumped out of the truck and walked quickly up to the house. Unlocking the door, she disappeared inside. Moments later she came back out. She swiftly moved to the truck, lowering the gate just as several big guys came out and started loading large boxes into the bed of her truck. Everything was being done in such a hurry. Within minutes the truck was loaded and carefully secured. And the woman he was so interested in was back behind the wheel and she was leaving.

Ram was paying more attention to her than he was to the surveillance he was here to do. Shaking his head, he was wondering, again, what the hell was the matter with him. He had never felt this way about anyone before, and he didn't even know her. She was on his mind a lot. This was not normal for him.

The fact that she was the topic of discussion at work every single day only made him think of her more, and highlighted the fact that he was jealous. Jealous that he had not been the one to see her at the latest sighting, jealous that the guys were talking about her. It was all a bit alarming to a man who usually kept a tight rein on his feelings. That was one trait that he shared with all of his rangeman brothers. None of them would ever be comfortable admitting that they had these kind of feelings.

While his brain was trying to wrap itself around the fact that he was experiencing feelings that he had never known before, Ram saw the big delivery truck whip around the corner. He saw the driver, saw the look in his face. All of a sudden, things seemed to be moving in slow motion. Ram watched the man, their skip, focus his attention on the black truck down the street. Her truck. He knew what was going to happen, knew he could not prevent it. Panic seized his chest. "911," he yelled at Vince as he jumped out of their truck and started running to her. The emergency call went out to all of the Rangemen too.

The nightmare he was watching couldn't be stopped. Too many times to count, Ram had seen men get crazy when they felt cornered, trapped. They lost their minds and did erratic things to get away. Now Sydney was caught in the middle of it just because she was in a black truck.

She was just pulling out into the street when she saw the delivery truck round the corner, and she slammed on her brakes. It was coming too fast, gaining even more speed the closer it got. In a moment of horror, she realized it was coming straight at her! She tried to back up quickly. It was enough to get her out of the street, but not enough to avoid being hit. Jimenez wore a frenzied look on his face, he was drunk, and angry and out of control. His only focus was the truck and his goal to stop the men who hunted him.

The huge van continued to pick up speed as it rambled toward her truck. Ram knew he couldn't stop this from happening, he could never reach her in time, but his heart pounded with the frantic need to get to her. The sound of the impact made his heart stop. Crashing glass, metal grating on metal. The concussion in the air was palpable, it sickened him. He felt so helpless, watching this play out. Just as he knew it would. The noise was nearly deafening. And the radios that refused to die presented an impromptu 'battle of the bands; with Zeppelin screaming out, _been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, time_, against Roberto Tapia pounding out a cumbia beat, _mirando al cielo. _Ram didn't seem to hear any of it, he was only thinking of getting to Sydney.

Suddenly he was at her side. Climbing in through the passenger door had been the only way to get to her. The air bag had deployed, and she was pinned to the back of her seat. Head back, eyes closed, she was not moving. Ram grabbed her arm, quickly looked for and found her pulse. Relief allowed his heart to start beating again. He pushed the slowly deflating air bag out of the way and removed her seat belt. She was barely breathing , and he wanted to get her out as quickly as possible. All he wanted was to hold her safely in his arms.

His only focus was on Sydney. He did not see Vince drive up and pull Jimenez out of the van, holding him down with his knee on his neck, daring him to move so that he could inflict some real pain. Ram was not aware of the two other black trucks that pulled up just ahead of the ambulance. Tank and Les dragged Jimenez over to secure him in the back of their truck, he was screaming in Spanish and causing quite a scene. All of the commotion went on around him, but he did not care. It wasn't until Ranger touched his shoulder, to tell him that the EMT's were on their way, that he even acknowledged anyone else. And even then it was just a nod while he kept his eyes on Sydney. By the time she was lifted into the ambulance, she started to gain consciousness. Ram looked into her beautiful eyes and, he thought, this might be a good time to introduce himself to her. Especially since he was holding her in his arms and he never wanted to let her go.


	9. Chapter 9

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 9

Sydney had pulled back far enough that the van had only hit the front of the truck. It totally destroyed the front end, and Ram knew, without a doubt, that her quick action had saved her life. If Sydney hadn't moved, Jimenez would have slammed into her door. She would have taken the brunt of the impact. He wouldn't allow himself to think how close she could have come to getting killed.

The rest of the night was spent in the emergency room. Sydney had escaped any serious injury. But the doctors said that it was the lack of any outward signs of damage that worried them, and they wanted to keep her under observation all night, until they could get the results of the all the tests that were taken. They were worried that she may have suffered internal injuries, so she had been hooked up with wires and tubes attaching her to numerous monitors. Ram sat in the dark room, carefully watching each small light, each movement, listening to each beep, every vibration, willing nothing to go wrong. He had finally decided he wanted to get to know Sydney, and he didn't want to lose her now.

As she drifted in and out of a very troubled sleep, Ram kept his watch. For hours he sat at her side, listening to her uneven breathing, to the terrified sounds she was making in her dreams, or were they nightmares? It tore at his heart to see her in pain. He felt helpless, wishing that there was something that he could do to calm her, comfort her. He had no way of knowing that that her mind was relentlessly replaying scenes from the accident, linking this accident to emotions she felt when she heard about her parents. Streams of tears left her eyes. He wiped them away gently, wishing that he could make her pain go away.

Suddenly she sat up in the bed, sucking in a huge loud breath. Startled, Ram jumped out of his chair, knocking it to the floor. He stared at Sydney, her eyes were opened wide but they looked glassed over, he knew that she wasn't awake. She was trembling. What was wrong? A sense of panic was rising in his chest.

The lights and sounds from the various monitors went crazy. The door burst open and a nurse rushed in. Giving Ram a look that said, "get back" she quickly moved in to check Sydney and the monitors. While the nurse concentrated on the machines, Ram kept his eyes on Sydney. He moved closer, holding onto her hand as she was finally able to focus. Their eyes met. Her breathing calmed, the monitors went back their rhythmic beeping. The nurse nodded first at the machines, and then at Ram, she checked some of Sydney's vitals and then she left the room.

His eyes went back to Sydney, she looked at him intently, and he moved forward and put his arms around her. She leaned into him. Not a word was spoken between them, but they both knew. This may not be the place they wanted to be in, but being together was right. For the first time in a long time, they each felt content. Ram sat on the bed next to her, he carefully pulled her close and she rested her head on his strong shoulder and fell asleep in his arms, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. At some point during the night, he wondered when everything had changed for him. Looking at her face, he knew his world would never be the same.

OoOoO

"I was unconscious Aubrey," Sydney said, for the tenth time. She stared at her sister, did she really think that it had been on purpose? Of course she didn't call her when she got to the hospital last night. She had been unable to. Seriously! Besides a big part of her really did not want her sister to have to get another call in the middle of the night telling her that there had been an accident. It had been a good thing that the hospital had considered Ram and the rangemen her family, not feeling the need to ask for more 'next of kin' to contact.

But Aubrey's friend, the nosey nurse who came on duty this morning, noticed that Sydney was here and that Aubrey was not, so when she still didn't see her by her lunch break, she called her. Sydney didn't know what the nurse told her, but the fact that she had been released from the hospital should have been able to tell her that she was going to be all right. This all happened hours ago. Though she had no way of knowing that her sister had been contacted.

Sydney was going to call her sister as soon as she got home. It seemed logical to her. There had been no reason to unnecessarily worry her early this morning. And then she had waited all morning for the results from her tests, she felt that there was no reason to call until she had all of the information to give her. Then, after she had gotten her clean bill of health, she was discharged around noon. Ram had insisted that she have some 'real food' for lunch, taking her to his favorite deli. By the time she got home, he fussed over her, making sure she was comfortable, and was not going to do anything but sit and wait until he got back. As much as she didn't want him to leave, she couldn't begrudge him the chance to go home and shower and grab some clean clothes. And then, she realized that she probably looked like something the cat dragged in, so she took a quick shower too.

The call to her sister had been delayed, but for good reasons. How was she to know that someone had called Aubrey to tell her that she had been in an accident or that Aubrey had been frantically waiting for her to let her know that she was okay. Of course that would explain why Aubrey was there, barging into the house minutes after Sydney got dressed and was looking for her phone, to call her. It had been a crazy moment. Aubrey kept bouncing between hugging her sister, relieved that she was all right, and yelling at her for being so insensitive. For not calling her.

Sydney was sitting on the overstuffed couch in the family room, where Ram had left her earlier. She pressed her palm on the center of her forehead. This headache was an indication of the only injury that she had actually suffered in the crash. She had been incredibly lucky to get away with only a slight concussion. She smiled.

A secret smile, as she thought of Ram. She had been lucky in more ways than one last night. Finding him beside her this morning when she woke up, proved that it hadn't been a dream. The man she had been obsessing about for weeks, was just as interested in her as she was in him. She had the best sleep of her life, dreaming that she was safely wrapped in his arms. Waking to find it had not been a dream at all felt good. Really good.

Annoyed that her sister didn't seem to be taking their discussion seriously, Aubrey glared at her.

"Sydney, what happened to you last night? You haven't told me how you ended up in the hospital," she said.

"A delivery van slammed into her truck," a male voice behind her said. "If it hadn't been for her quick thinking, and even quicker action, she wouldn't be here with us today." Aubrey spun around to see Ram walking into the room. He was carrying a huge spray of flowers that he set down on the side table. He removed the card and moved over to the couch where Sydney was sitting. She watched as he sat down next to her sister, and handed her the card. Then he kissed her forehead.

"How's the headache?" he asked with concern in his voice. Sydney hadn't taken her eyes off of him since he walked in the room. Knowing that she probably had a goofy look on her face, she didn't care. She snuggled into him a little bit as he wrapped an arm protectively around her. All other thoughts vanished for a few minutes, as Sydney reveled in the fact that just when she had given herself permission to feel again, the most wonderful man in the world walked into her life. As much as she was enjoying these feelings, she suddenly remembered her manners.

"Aubrey, I'd like you to meet…" she started to say.

"Ram. Isn't it?" Aubrey said, nodding at him from the other side of the room, not making any motion to come shake his hand. Where were_ her_ manners Sydney thought, getting slightly annoyed at her sister.

Ram nodded, and then he looked at Sydney. "We met when I came to install your security system." He said by way of explanation. She stared at him for a good minute, he _had_ been the one to come that day, the day she had been hiding. From him. She immediately felt foolish for avoiding the chance to meet him, what had she been thinking?

"Good," Sydney said. Pulling her attention back to the moment. "We all know each other."

"So," Aubrey said. "You were hit by a truck, and taken to the hospital."

"With a concussion," said Sydney.

"And Ram…" Aubrey started to say

"Was there with me and made sure I got home today."

"And you…" Aubrey tried again to say something.

"I am just fine, just a little headache from a _slight_ concussion." Sydney finished the sentence for her.

Once again Aubrey attempted to talk. "Ram…"

"Will be with me for the next 'critical' hours, so you have nothing to worry about." Sydney said.

Ram stood up, and walked over to Aubrey. He extended his hand, she shook it. "We are sorry to have worried you," he said sincerely. Sydney could see her sister actually melt under his apologetic gaze. She kind of nodded, unable to say a word. Ram moved back over to the couch.

"Let's take a look at that bump," he said. As he helped pull Sydney to a standing position, Aubrey came over and gave Sydney a hug.

"Looks like you are in good hands," she said, smiling. "I'd better get back to the kids."

"Thank you," Sydney said, giving her another squeeze. She looked into her sister's eyes, she knew that she loved her, even if she was a bit over protective at times. And she finally acknowledged that hearing that she had been in a car accident from someone else had to have been traumatic, after what had happened to their parents. "I'm sorry I didn't call you," she said in a low voice, emotions deep. Aubrey hugged her again. As she pulled back, their eyes met.

"I'll be okay," Sydney said.

Aubrey smiled at her. "Yes, I can see that," she said with a wink. "Take care of you." She grabbed her purse, and with a small wave, she walked out of the room.

From behind her, Ram wrapped his arms around her and Sydney leaned into him, laying her head back to rest on his broad chest. "It's good to have people who care about you," he said softly into her ear. She nodded. He guided her into the kitchen and handed her a glass of water and two pills.

"Acetaminophen" he said. Again she nodded. He was right, it was good to have people who care about you. She wrapped her arms around him again, and he held her close. Very good.

_A/N... No matter where you are I Wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! _

_I hope you have a great day full of pleasant thoughts of how much we each have to be thankful for._

_Dreamer_


	10. Chapter 10

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 10

The day dawned bright and clear. Sydney got up and showered, cringing again when she saw herself in the mirror. She stared at the deep purple bruise that crossed her torso. Slashing from her shoulder, between her breasts and over her ribs to her waist.

"I guess this is as close as I will come to wearing a _Miss America_ sash," she kidded herself in the mirror, trying to smile, but knowing that it really did look bad. Turning and looking at it from different angles, she knew that it was going to be hard to find another shirt in her wardrobe that would cover this darkening mark. Which truly was difficult, as it started high next to her neck.

After she had seen the stricken look on Rams' face the first time he saw the angry looking bruise peaking out of the collar of her shirt, she had diligently tried to dig up anything she could to hide it. He had started to treat her like she was made of glass, and she missed his passionate, spontaneous hugs. If he didn't see the evidence, she hoped, he would forget that there was anything to be concerned about. It really didn't hurt that bad…

Sydney heard the door beep twice. Ram had disabled the alarm and was coming in the front door. She hurriedly grabbed the only shirt she had left that could come close to covering the bruise and got dressed. She rushed out to greet him, throwing herself into his waiting arms before he got a chance to take a close look. Fortunately, he responded the way she'd hoped by holding her tight, kissing her neck and whispering all the words she wanted to hear, she was in heaven.

"You are still keeping us busy," he accused as he loosened his grip on her. He smiled at her, he hated being away from her for even a minute, but coming back to this kind of welcome was almost worth it.

"Busy?" she asked so innocently. Knowing full well that he had told her this more than once. In fact, every time he had to leave her, he mentioned that her referrals had increased their workload significantly. Not allowing him to request any time off until RangeMan had hired enough additional men to keep up with the work. She teased him, kissing his chin, his cheek, the corners of his mouth, everywhere but on the lips, until he growled. She looked at him, he smiled. That incredible smile that showed that adorable dimple in his left cheek. There was only one kind of smile that revealed that dimple, and she knew that there would be no more teasing now. He possessed her lips in a kiss that left them both breathless, gasping for air, before they dived back in for more.

OoOoO

"We've made enough for an army," Sydney said as she surveyed the large pot of vegetable soup they had just finished, and had simmering on the stove. Just then the timer on the stove went off and she grabbed an oven mitt to remove the rolls from the oven. "Tell me again why we just made all this," she said, winking at him and ducking playfully when he came to grab her.

Ram smiled at her and pulled her close. "You are kind of cute when you wear an oven mitt like that," he said in a low, sexy voice. Lowering his mouth to hers as he spoke, so that the vibration of the last words he said tickled her lips.

He didn't really have to explain it again, she had been teasing him the whole time they were cooking. They had discovered that they both liked to cook. Once a month. And they had had fun comparing notes on recipes and techniques of the bachelors and bachelorettes.

When she had first discussed moving to New York, Sydney's mother had suddenly felt the need to give her daughter a crash course in taking care of herself while living alone. Laundry, cleaning, self-defense and cooking were all treated with equal importance.

She learned to make enough in one day of cooking to be able to stash single servings away in the freezer to last all month. Her favorite recipes included Texas stew, Coq au vin, and a roll dough that could be partially baked and then rozen, only requiring a few minutes of baking to supply fresh baked goods for each meal. Ram had actually convinced Ella to share some of her recipes with him. It had been her vegetable soup that they had tried today.

While they were busy in the kitchen, three black trucks pulled up in front of Sydney Schaeffer's house. A whole group of large men dressed in black walked up to her front door.

"I'll get that for you," Ram said, when they heard the doorbell. Sydney was about to tell him that she had just armed the system, then she caught the look in his eye. Yeah, she reminded herself, he designed the system. He knew more about it than she ever would, and he would know how to turn it off to open the door. She just smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

When Ram opened the door, he just stared at them. He knew that Ranger was coming, but this was just over kill. He correctly guessed that these other guys were still curious about Sydney. Believe it or not, he did get that! But how they talked Ranger and Tank into letting them come with them today, he couldn't even begin to fathom. It had been a few days, since the accident. He figured that they had shown incredible restraint to wait this long to come get a look. He was actually impressed.

"Ram," Ranger said. Ram nodded. He stepped back and the men all filed in.

Cal and Les suddenly turned into statues. Vince and Bones were trying their best not to laugh, they wore their best blank faces, and Hal stood by smiling. Ram could tell by the sparkle in their eyes that they found this very amusing. He knew it was the reaction to Sydney, who had just walked into the room. Every eye in the room followed her, as she moved over to stand by Ram.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Sydney, I would like to introduce you to…"

Ranger stepped forward extending his hand to her "Ranger, I mean, Carlos Manoso, owner of RangeMan Inc," Ram said.

"And Tank," he said, as Tank moved closer. She shook hands with each of the men as Ram introduced them.

"Vince,"

"Bones,"

"Hal,"

"Cal,"

"And Les."

She nodded to Lester, with a gleam of recognition in her eyes. "Yes, we almost met before," she said as winked at him. Ram watched the exchange with amusement, Les looked like he was about to pass out.

They were all men of few words. Sydney smiled at them all collectively and said, "It's good to meet you." Inviting them into the front room to sit down, she waited for them to tell her why they were here. Ranger was the one to speak first. He asked her how the security system was working for her. She took this opportunity to tell them how much she admired the company. How much she loved the way the installation of the systems didn't detract from the design of the spaces. She couldn't say enough about how much her clients absolutely loved not only the perfect installation, but the service that they got with their systems.

She had to suppress a smile, she wasn't sure she should tell Ranger that all the women seemed to like watching his men doing their job. Not that she could blame them, she could appreciate it herself. But it would remain her little secret for now.

"Ms. Schaeffer," Tank said.

"Please," Sydney said, interrupting him. "Call me Sydney," she said with a smile.

Tank started over. "Sydney," he smiled back at her. "We have a surprise for you."

She raised her eyebrows and shot a look at Ram. A surprise? Did he know? One look into his eyes and she knew that he did. He took her hand and pulled her past all of the men, toward the door.

"Come on, let's show you the surprise," he said.

He walked outside to the black truck parked in the middle, between the other two. Bones tossed the set of keys to him, and Ram handed them to her. They all looked identical, how he knew this was the right one, she didn't know, she just smiled at him.

"Jimenez totaled your truck," he said. "So we made sure that you got a replacement."

Sydney unlocked the truck and climbed into the passenger seat. Everything looked exactly like her truck. The Bose docking station even had her iPod in it. At least it looked like her iPod. She looked at Ram and he nodded.

"We got everything of yours out of the truck before they took it." He then helped her down, and led her back to the bed of the truck. Lifting the corner of the black tarp, she could see the boxes that she had picked up from Edith's house. Without a word, the men came and unloaded the boxes. Ram took the remote opener from her visor and opened the garage. They carefully placed all of the boxes along one wall. Sydney was a little bit speechless herself at that moment. But she did have the presence of mind to say at least one word to them all.

"Thank You," she looked at each of the guys. All of these big tough guys had smiles that they couldn't hide. She didn't know, yet, that they had all been watching her for these past months. She only knew that she would enjoy getting to know them. They were part of Ram's world and she had no doubt that she would be seeing them often, the more she spent time with him. And she intended to spend a lot of time with him from now on.

That time was going to start right now. Sydney looked at Ram and he nodded slightly. He was pretty sure he knew what she had in mind. And he immediately added another entry to his list of the things that he loved about her. He put his arm around her and gave her shoulders a little squeeze.

"Gentlemen," she said. "Are any of you hungry?" Given the number of smiles she got, she took it to mean that they were all going to accept the invitation to come in and eat, so she motioned them all into the house and herded them back to the kitchen.

"I thought something smelled good," Lester said as he lifted the lid from the pot and looked in. Ram just rolled his eyes and told him to go sit down. The guys were all teasing and telling stories as the bowls of steaming soup and warm rolls were placed on the table. Sydney went back to the counter to grab the salt and pepper, when she turned around she noticed that they were waiting for her to join them before they started eating. She was, once again, impressed with the men from RangeMan Inc.


	11. Chapter 11

Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Ford F150

Chapter 11

More tales of magnificent feats and mad driving skills were being told. It had been weeks since the accident, and Sydney was no longer an urban legend. She was now a regular visitor at RangeMan. She came every time she got a chance. She was busier than ever before with her businesses, but there was always time to come in and say 'hi' to the guys when she came to see Ram.

All of the men at RangeMan now knew who the mystery driver was. It had been hard for the guys to admit that she was a better driver than most of them. Bones had been asked to put together a driving course for them so that they could all improve their skills and instincts. He had attempted to do this on numerous occasions before with very little success. But now everyone seemed to be receptive to the idea. They wanted to be able to drive like Sydney. He shyly approached Sydney and asked her how she developed the skills that she seemed to have in spades.

She was surprised and flattered by the request, but she knew that there had not been a driving course or anything formal to teach her these skills that she could recommend him to. She realized that it had been the games her dad and her grandpa had played with her that made her acquire the necessary abilities that she needed. So, she figured that all she could do was tell Bones the stories. She told him the stories of her summers at the farm, stories of her dad with her on the highway, stories of her grandfather taking trips up the mountains with the jeep, or on the sand dunes. She left him wide eyed and speechless after every story telling session.

Sydney had great fun telling the stories, truly glad for the chance to relive some of her memories with her dad. Ram came with her every time she met with Bones. He loved hearing the stories too, it told him so much about this woman who had stolen his heart.

OoOoO

The guys were now trying to outdo each other with their own stories of harrowing experiences and narrow escapes. Stephanie had heard most of this before so she grabbed Sydney's arm and pulled her out of the break room.

"They never considered that the mystery driver might not be a man," she said with a laugh. "You will have to give them some time to wrap their heads around it." And, she winked, "Be prepared, they are all going to try to outdo your performances with exaggerated tales of their own, for a long time to come." She shook her head. "This will never end."

Sydney laughed, "Don't blame me," she said with a smile.

"No, we'll thank you," said Ranger who was walking down the hall toward the ladies. "If not for you, they would never have become this motivated to improve their skills," he said. "We are all better off now, so thank you." He winked at Sydney as he slipped his arms round Stephanie's waist.

At the same time Sydney felt some strong arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her back into a firm chest. Ram reached around and kissed her on the cheek.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her. She nodded, then looked over at Stephanie and Ranger and said a quick goodbye as Ram pulled her down the hall with him. She turned around in his arms, laughing. Her heart was light, she had never been this happy.

Ram led her down to the fourth floor to his apartment. He was just going to grab a couple of things before they left. Sydney walked in and looked around. As many times as she had been at RangeMan, they had never come down to his place together. Ram usually grabbed his stuff before he found her hanging out with the guys upstairs. When she realized that, she was excited, here was her chance to learn something about Ram. She was hoping that there would be some clues displayed in the things he chose to have in his home. She was not disappointed.

The electronic gadgets around did not surprise her, she expected that, knowing about his particular talent with all things technical. Not even the stack of cookbooks earned a second glance, she already knew he that he was an excellent cook. But what grabbed her attention was completely unexpected. The place was filled with plants. Beautiful thriving plants. Most of the men that she had ever known had two brown thumbs when it came to caring for plants. Their plants were usually already dead or taking their last breath when she saw them.

The plants in Ram's apartment were not only in great shape, they had been carefully chosen for the growing conditions he had in here. A northern facing window did not provide as much light, so he had chosen amazing plants that only needed partial sunlight. She was pretty sure that he was a regular shopper at Mazurs. These were all very unique specimens. She wondered where he got his love for plants.

Her own interest came from her mother. She was always adding another plant to their décor. As a girl, she watched with fascination as her mother would move the plants around from room to room, until she found the perfect spot for each particular plant to thrive. And they did. The plants grew so well, they needed regular thinnings to keep them looking their best. Every window sill in the kitchen held several jars of the cuttings from her mom's plants. They would sprout roots and then get planted in a pot of their own when they were ready. Everyone she knew would kill for one of her mother's plants. Good thing they did not have to resort to such tactics, her mother was generous in sharing them with everyone.

Sydney was running her finger along a broad leaf near the window. She could tell that it had been recently dusted, wiped with a cloth. She was even more impressed. And she was lost in her thoughts. She did not hear Ram walk into the room. He was next to her when he spoke.

"I've got everything," he said. She nearly jumped, he startled her so much. Of course, he seized the opportunity to grab her and pull her into a hug, but when she clung to him, he held her tight.

"You okay?" he asked gently. She had not realized that her mind had filled with memories of her mother. A mixture of emotions had taken over, the joy of the memories was tinged with the sharp pain of loss, and a tear fell down her cheek.

"My mom would have loved your plants," she finally said in a soft voice. He pulled her back a little and saw the tear. He wiped it away with his thumb and kissed her cheek where it had been.

"I would have loved to meet your mom," he said. She nodded and let him hug her close for a few minutes longer. Taking a deep breath, she was ready to get going. She smiled and grabbed his hand.

"We better get going," she said.

He pulled back, "Syd," he said. She knew he was asking if she was going to need some time to stop the pain she felt. If she needed some time alone. She smiled warmly at him. She did not want to be alone. In fact she very much wanted to be with him, the memories of her parents could bring pain and sadness sometimes. But she was never happier than when he gathered her in his arms and just held her like he would never let her go. She looked into his eyes and shook her head, she was more in love with him than ever before. With a kiss she told him that she was okay.

OoOoO

Things had pretty much gotten back to normal around RangeMan now. Both the Trenton and New York offices enjoyed increased sales as their client base continued to expand thanks to the steady stream of referrals that Sydney brought in. They have also had a steady increase in the number of people they have hired to keep up with the work. The offices in Miami and Atlanta were jealous, wishing that they had Sydney working in their areas too.

The men in these other offices were curious to know if the rumors were true. They all knew that Stephanie was known for her practical jokes. She was legend among the men in all of the RangeMan offices. But they were now hearing that Sydney was much more dangerous. Her jokes were much more subtle.

What they didn't seem to realize, was that it was usually Stephanie who put her up to playing the jokes on the guys. Most of them knew to get out of the way when they would see Stephanie and Sydney together.

"Steph, no," they would hear Sydney say. "We wouldn't dare," she would insist with a wicked gleam in her eye. Ranger and Ram were just glad that most of the time they were exempt from the jokes. And they would find themselves trying not to laugh too hard watching what happened to their friends.

Just last week, Stephanie was ready to tease Lester back for the stunt he had pulled on her. He was a master jokester himself and she was ready to give him a taste of his own medicine. It was easier than ever to recruit Sydney's help. It was not at all unusual to see Steph and Sydney sitting in the break room talking. And usually it was quite innocent, harmless. But not that day. They were whispering about a new black truck. Stage whispers, letting some of the clues sneak out. Blond. Beautiful. Likes to shop at Kohl's.

Lester and Cal both took the bait. And it wasn't long before they were frequently seen cruising past the Kohl's over on Marketplace Blvd. A few more clues orchestrated the moment that they could meet the mystery blond. Both Cal and Lester drove by and spotted the black truck in the parking lot. They both pulled their trucks into the lot and pretended that they were looking up the address to the place they were supposed to be going. Today Vince and Hal were the partners being dragged along on this adventure.

A cute blond walked out of the store and came out to the truck. They watched. She opened the back doors. Searching the back seat. Looking around the parking lot and under the truck as if she had lost something. Both Cal and Lester came to her rescue. She was cute, her hair was cut short, her eyes were the most amazing color of caramel brown that they had ever seen. They were now both vying for her attention.

"Oh, there it is," she exclaimed, stooping down to try to reach whatever it was she had found.

Lester stepped up immediately, "Here let me do that for you," he offered. Bending down on one knee. "Where is it?" he asked.

"Over there, just a little further over," she pointed out. Les was now on both knees, halfway under the truck. Cal was laughing at the scene he was making. But just then another girl walked out of the store with three young kids in tow. They waved to the blond standing next to the truck, and quickly approached.

"We found it!" said the pretty blond. The kids all ran forward. Chris ran to his mom's arms. But Mandy ran and crawled under the truck with Lester, she startled him and he hit his head. Ashley ran up and grabbed Cal's hand, jumping up and down.

"You found it, you found it," she chanted cheerfully, pulling him around in a circle with her little happy dance. By now, Lester was standing up, something clutched in his hand.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Mandy was singing, as she pounced on his clenched fist. She pulled him down and gave him a huge wet kiss on his chin. He opened his hand and let her take the Hello Kitty charm from him.

By this time, the two men knew that they had been had. But they were good sports about it and helped the kids into the truck, even buckling them into the car seats. In the end Lester and Cal had learned a valuable lesson. Their partners had participated in a classic prank, taping and posting the video to all the other offices. Aubrey had been flattered to have been able to still attract attention of good looking men in her part of the joke. The girls had had fun performing their roles like they were in a play. And Stephanie and Sydney established themselves firmly as the resident tricksters.

OoOoO

"All because they saw someone in a black truck," Ram repeated. They watched the video replay again and he laughed so hard he cried.

"Yeah, it's a good thing that you never fell for that one," she said teasing him.

"No, I just fell for you," he said. The look in his eyes said that he was not joking about that, and a deliciously warm, tingling feeling came over Sydney.

She launched herself into his arms and he held her tight, like he would never let her go.

OoOoO

A/N. _ I always hate to come to the end of the story. But it has been great fun to have you along for the ride! Thank you again for taking a chance on a story about another one of the amazing Rangemen. May they always live long in our hearts. J_

_Dreamer_


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